


The Jade Alchemist (Formerly: The Truth)

by Linboh0214



Category: D.Gray-man, Fairy Tail, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga, 僕のヒーローアカデミア | Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia
Genre: Abusive Todoroki Enji | Endeavor, Adopted Midoriya Izuku, Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead Adopts Shinsou Hitoshi, Dabi is Todoroki Touya, F/F, F/M, Immortality, M/M, Midoriya Izuku Does Not Have One for All Quirk, Parental Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead, Protective Midoriya Inko, Quirkless Midoriya Izuku, Sensei | All For One is Midoriya Hisashi, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-09-23
Packaged: 2021-03-06 04:15:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 15
Words: 47,449
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25667296
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Linboh0214/pseuds/Linboh0214
Summary: In 2039 archeologists discovered ruins of an unknown civilization that was later found to be over 7,000 years old. The news of the ruins fascinated both the historical and scientific community because of how similar the ruins were to modern-day buildings. They managed to retract records from the ancient ruins and were prepared to decode it until in 2045 quirks began appearing all over the world. As the world struggled to adapt and control this new superhuman society, the research was eventually abandoned and completely forgotten. In 2320 nearly 80% of the world population has a quirk with the quirkless population seemingly slowly being driven to extinction. In this quirk society, a new profession "Heroes" that was long thought to be a dream had become a reality. A young boy named Midoriya Izuku dreams of becoming like the number one hero "All Might." When it was discovered that he was quirkless it all seemed like an impossible dream. However, unbeknownst to the boy, fate would have him save humanity itself.
Relationships: Aizawa Shouta | Eraserhead/Yamada Hizashi | Present Mic, Bakugou Katsuki/Kirishima Eijirou, Dabi/Takami Keigo | Hawks, Edward Elric/Winry Rockbell, Midoriya Izuku/Uraraka Ochako, Todoroki Shouto/Yaoyorozu Momo
Comments: 10
Kudos: 71





	1. The News

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time posting fanfiction on Archive of our Own. I'm still new to writing and not very good at it so if you came here looking for a good fanfiction than this is the wrong place.

During lunchtime in a cafeteria, a man looks around searching for his friend. As soon as he spots him, he quickly grabs his tray and joins him at the table.

"Hey, Mahiro did you hear about the news?" asked Ryo excitedly

"Yeah, I heard the one about the mysterious ruins right? Why are you so interested I mean it has nothing to do with us. " Mahiro looked at Ryo curiously

Mahiro and Ryo were colleagues at a tech development research facility. While he could understand why some people in the scientific community would be interested, it had nothing to do with them.

"Well apparently, someone needs to look at the news again," Ryo said sarcastically Ryo took his smartphone out of his pocket and opened up the news article he had bookmarked earlier this morning. Then he passed it onto Mahiro.

_ **Breaking News:** _

_Ruins in the Mongolian Dessert On March 26, 2038, a team of archeologists happened to discover multiple artifacts while on the search and excavation of dinosaur bones. The artifacts were later transported to Europe for further testing and were found to be nearly 7,000 years old. However, all of the artifacts were not related to any known ancient civilization in or outside of the area. On August 9, 2038, a new team of archeologists was sent to the area for further excavation and research. However, there was little to no progress with the excavation until February 17, 2039, a ruin of a building was finally discovered. As they began to further excavate the area they discovered an entire city._

"Ok new civilization so what?" Mahiro looked at his friend with a deadpanned face

"No, not there! Read the last part!"

_Archeologists were left completely speechless when they discovered the ruins. As seen in the picture below the ruins share a close resemblance to modern cities. In addition, they have found some devices that were still fully intact and operational. These were sent to the US for further research and it was discovered that the device was similar to modern smartphones. It is believed that this civilization may have been just as or more highly advanced than modern society. This discovery has not only baffled the historical community but the entire scientific community._

"What the seriously! Is that even possible!" Mahiro shouted in surprise while scanning the news article for more information

"I know right! Not only that similar artifacts have been discovered in other parts of Europe and Asia including Japan!" Ryo squealed like a little a girl

"Wait that would mean we might have the chance to get our hands on one of the devices! This is great news!" Mahiro joined Ryo in the squealing


	2. The Doctor's Appointment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> (I really suck at writing summaries)  
> Izuku's Doctor Appointment

In 2051, a bioluminescent baby was born in Keikei city in China. Since then people with supernatural abilities began appearing all over the world. While there are many theories as to how they came about, nobody truly knew the causes of it. As time passed by supernatural abilities or more commonly known as "quirks" became the norm in the world. By 2320 nearly 80 percent of the entire world population has some sort of quirk with the quirkless population seemingly slowly being driven into extinction. However, with the newfound "quirk" abilities crime rates began to increase at a tremendous rate and society found itself in complete and utter chaos. As the world struggled to control this new superhuman society courageous people began to stand up against crime thus becoming the 1st generation of heroes. Governments began adopting the profession and legalized it. Now it has become one of the most admired professions of today. "All Might" the current number one hero of this generation and symbol of peace has become the pillar of the hero community inspiring many and leading them onto the path of heroics including a young boy named Midoriya Izuku who dreams of becoming like his favorite hero.

\------------------------------------------------------------------

**2336**

While Katsuki and Izuku were playing heroes and villains at their preschool Katsuki's quirk had suddenly manifested. Everyone including the teachers looked in awe at Katsuki's amazing quirk. Complimenting and admiring the young boy for it. After the excitement died down and school ended Izuku and Katsuki walked home together. As they were walking they excitedly talk about Katsuki's new quirk. 

"Wow, your quirk is so cool Kacchan!"

"Of course my quirk is awesome it's because I'm awesome!" Katsuki scoffs proudly

"I can't wait to get my quirk!" Izuku says excitingly

"I bet it will be a lame assed quirk just like you" Katsuki grins sadistically

"No, it won't!" Izuku retorts

As they start approaching their homes they go their separate ways and bid their farewells

"Anyway see ya later Izuku"

"Bye Kacchan, see you tomorrow"

After returning home Izuku takes off his shoes at the entrance and immediately runs to the living room where his mother is.

"Okaasan I'm home"

(Okaasan means mother in Japanese)

"Welcome back home Izuku! How was school today?" his mother asks him

"Okaasan listen listen. Kachan got his quirk! It was amazing!"

Izuku then proceeds to explain everything that had happened when Katsuki manifested his quirk

"That's great news! The next time he comes over let's celebrate together!" Inko says excitingly

"Yay!" Izuku cheers

"But first wash your hands and put your bag away, we're having your favorite Katsudon for dinner tonight"

"Ok, Okaasan"

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Night at the Midoriya household**

That night Izuku could barely sleep with excitement. He wondered what kind of quirk he would get. He hoped he would get a really cool one like his best friend.

Izuku had dreamed of becoming a hero ever since he saw a video of All Might saving dozens of people from a burning building all with a smile on his face. No other hero had charmed the young boy as much as All Might did. Sure there were other great heroes but there was something different about the hero that made him different from all the others. Whenever the hero said his famous line "I am here" people would instantly know that everything would be alright. Even in the most hopeless of situations, he would always manage to turn everything around and save the day. That was the kind of hero Izuku wanted to be. But Izuku was still a child and eventually, the drowsiness hit him and he instantly fell asleep with no warning at all.

Izuku wakes up to find himself in the middle of a strange forest. As the curious young boy, he is, he decides to look around for clues until he spots a white silhouette emerging from the trees. It looked like a dog no a wolf??? Before he could approach it the wolf? it runs into the deeper part of the forest.

"Wait!" Izuku cries as he chases the wolf

As Izuku was chasing the wolf? the trees started moving, creating a path for him. At the end of the path, he found himself surrounded by a field of flowers. Izuku looks around but he could not find the wolf anywhere in sight instead he sees a beautiful lake. The reflection of the sky on the lake made it seem the small plots of land were floating with the clouds. The scenery was mesmerizing for the young boy but it seemed oddly familiar like he had seen this place before.

Izuku tries to remember where he could have seen it until suddenly a gust of winds blows against the boy and he hears a voice

"...........al....win......re.....of....."

Before Izuku could turn around to find the owner of the voice his vision starts turning black. When he opens his eyes again he's in his room again.

It was a very strange dream, he never had anything like this one before... He had so many questions about the dreams, like was that white thing a wolf, where was that place, and most importantly who or what did that voice belong to?

He could barely make out what that voice was saying. However, as strange as it seemed, it made him feel safe, reassured and ...

"Izuku, breakfast is ready!" his mother knocks his door

"Ok, Okaasan" Izuku replies

Izuku gets up from his bed and slowly makes his way to the dining room. There he sees his mother in the kitchen preparing the plates.

He walks up to her and asks "Okaasan"

"What is it Izuku?" Inko looks at her son curiously

He was going to ask her about the dream he had until he smells "Pancakes!"

"Yes, Izuku" Inko chuckles while looking at her son performing his usual pancake dance

"What is it that you wanted to ask sweetheart?" Inko asks her son again

"PANCAKES, PANCAKES" Izuku repeated while jumping up and down

Inko sighs and gently looks at her son. Although Izuku was smart, he was only 4 years old and like many children, his age he tended to have really short attention spans unless it was something that interested them a great deal.

"Could you help me set up the table?"

"Yes, Okaasan" Izuku replies cheerfully

Izuku completely forgot to ask his mom about the dream but that was alright after all it was pancakes and nothing could be more important than that.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------

**2 months later**

After 2 months had passed almost everyone in the class had already manifested their quirk except for Izuku. He was almost turning 5 yet he had shown no signs of developing a quirk. Concerned at this his mother Midoriya Inko took him for a doctor's appointment at a hospital. After Izuku was done with all of the routine examinations they waited in the waiting room. Izuku excitedly talks with his mother about what kind of quirk he might get while waiting for the results.

"Hey, Okaasan what do you think my quirk will be?" Izuku asks his mother

"I don't know what do you think Izuku?" Inko gently smiles at him

"Hmmm I think I might get your quirk Okaasan" Izuku brightly smiles at his mother

"Why do you think that Izuku?" his mother asks him

"Everyone says I look exactly like you and I don't remember much about how dad looked like but I'm pretty sure they're right so I think I would get the same quirk as you"

"Are you sure you are ok with my quirk it's really weak you know?" Inko teases him

"Yup, because I love you so much and you've always been my hero Okaasan" Izuku says with the brightest smile on his face

"Wahhhhhhhh" Inko starts crying at her son's sweet answer.

Izuku tries to calm his mother down. It was nothing new, Inko had always been an emotional person and easily cried especially when it concerned her son. Every time Izuku did something for his mother no matter how small she would always start crying tears of joy. Everyone who knew them was also used to this overly doting parent scene.

After calming down the nurse calls them both to the doctor's room and they steadily make their way to the room. The doctor gestures both of them to sit down on the seats. Inko then notices the grieve expression on the doctor's face and became extremely alarmed by this.

"Is there something wrong with him? Will he be ok?" Inko asks the doctor worryingly

"Of course there is nothing wrong with your son he is healthy. In fact, I would say that he is more physically healthy and fit than any other children his age except..."

"What?!" Inko shouts at the doctor

"I'm very sorry but there is a high possibility that your son is quirkless" 

Shocked by the news Izuku's face turns pale and he drops the All Might toy he always brings along with him on the floor.

"Normally quirks start manifesting when a child turns 4 years old. Usually, they would inherit either one of their parent's quirk or both and in some rare cases, a mutated type of it. In the past when superhumans began appearing it was discovered that quirked individuals had only one joint. When humans start evolving they shed parts they believe are unnecessary. Many researchers have theorized that the loss of the 2nd joint represents the next stage of evolution. As you can see in this x-ray this child has 2 joints. It is very rare nowadays but your son is one of the few quirkless people in this world."

"Will this affect him in any way?" Inko asks the doctor

"No, absolutely not. Like I said your son is physically more healthy and fit than any other children his age. He should have no problems what so ever having a normal life"

Inko sighs with relief after hearing her son would be alright and would have no problems with leading a normal life

" Can I still be a hero?" Izuku asks the doctor. Hoping that the doctor would say yes.

"I'm afraid not. While you are healthy and would have no problem with day to day life, quirkless people are more vulnerable in comparison to people with quirks. Due to their lack of powers, they have no way to protect themselves from even people with weak quirks much less powerful ones. They are completely defenseless and will need some sort of protection. I am sorry but you should give up while you can young boy" The doctor stares at the boy with pity in his eyes

The world comes crashing down on Izuku as his last remaining hope was crushed by the doctor's words

After the doctor finishes his explanation, Inko thanks the doctor and leaves with her son.

It was on this day Izuku learns the cruel reality that not all men were created as equals

\------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Doctor POV after Izuku and Inko leaves the hospital**

As his daily routine after visiting hours is over the doctor checks through the files of every patient that came on that day. He made a habit of this after discovering unusual bruisings on a child once when they were conducting the x-ray examinations on him. He immediately notified the police and child protective services. It was later found that the parents had abused the child because of his so-called "villainous" quirk. Since then he decided to input the health examinations into the quirk examination to make sure they could discover any kind of abuse and save them before it got any worse as well as have evidence to put their abusers behind the jail.

As he was going through the files he sees Izuku's file. He remembers the devasted look on the young boy's face when he told them that the boy was quirkless.

He knows as a doctor in the medical field, the doctor must always prioritize the well-being and safety of his patients above all else. He has seen this scene many times when a child breaks down in tears after being told that their dreams could not come true due to their condition. But it didn't make it any easier for him.

Every time he wishes that he was wrong or that some sort of miracle would occur and every time he would be shown how powerless he was. None the less it never stopped him from hoping.

A nurse walks up to him overlooking the doctor scanning Izuku's file

"Oh is that Izuku?" asks the nurse

"Yes, do you know him?" the doctor asks curiously

"Yes, I talked with him while we were doing his exam. He was such a sweet angel!"

"Aren't you exaggerating a bit" the doctor looks at the nurse with a deadpanned expression

"Well, to be honest, I found him to be a bit weird..." another nurse joins in on the conversation

"What do you mean by weird?" the other nurse asks him

"Well, I might be overreacting a bit. When I was talking to him, he talked to me about his family and his friends at school."

"That sounds pretty normal to me" the other nurse interrupts

"Let him continue, nurse Yamamoto" the doctor glares at the other nurse

"Thank you, doctor. So as I was talking to him I noticed how he calls his mom Okaasan instead of Mama like most children his age. So I became curious and asked him why....... and he told me "

_**Flashback** _

_"Izuku why don't you call your mother Mama instead of Okaasan?"_

_"Because Okaasan is_ okaasan _" Izuku looks at the nurse confused while tilting his head_

_ **Flashback end** _

"Wait why is that weird" nurse Yamamoto asks with confusion

"Normally I wouldn't question it but my gut tells me so otherwise. Something about that child and mother is different than any of the ones I've seen before but I can't put my tongue on what"

"Seriously..." nurse Yamamoto deadpan

"Wait, nurse Yamamoto, nurse Hamada's intuition has always been spot on. Remember it was because of him that we first discovered the abuse of the Shinso family"

"But doctor" Yamamoto tries to retort before the doctor interrupts her again

"Plus I also think there is something strange with that family too."

"Wait, you too doctor?" asks nurse Hamada

"Yes, but in my case, it was with the mother, not the child. She wasn't nearly surprised as I expected her to be when I told her that her son was quirkless. Normally when a parent discovers this they would try to badger me for an explanation or ask all kinds of questions or become outraged but she only asked whether he would be able to lead a normal life or not. She was more concerned about his overall health rather than his quirk. It was like a part of her was expecting it."

Silence rang the room until nurse Yamamoto decided to speak up

"Hey maybe someone in her or her husband's family was quirkless and that was maybe why she wasn't that surprised. We don't know much and we may be just overreacting this time. I mean not all families are sinister as we believe them to be. We should learn to trust our patients more rather than doubt them before they give us a reason to do so.

"huh.... maybe nurse Yamamoto is right maybe we were overreacting. After what we've seen during all these years we have probably gotten too used to imagining about the worst-case scenario, we should learn to loosen up more" the doctor sighs

"Yeah maybe. Plus I did say I might be overreacting. Maybe I've gotten paranoid from way too many cases." nurse Hamada agrees

"I think we all need a vacation" nurse Yamamoto laughs

"Agreed" nurse Hamada and the doctor laughs in unison

"In any case let's watch over them gently and if anything happens then we can step in" the doctors tell his nurses

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After returning home from the doctor's appointment, Izuku immediately shuts himself in his room. He looks at all the All Might posters and toys he had begged his mother to buy them. He picks up the tablet on his nightstand and watches the video of All Might saving dozens of people from a fire with a smile on his face. Izuku then runs to the living room showing his mother the video.

"Okaasan, can I be a hero like All Might" Izuku asks his mom with tears already spilling from his eyes

"I'm so sorry Izuku" Inko apologizes and hugs her son while crying

After both mother and son stopped crying. Izuku goes back to his room while his mother starts preparing dinner. Then he slowly started making his way towards his bed and collapsed on it. Izuku stares at the blank ceiling as he remembers the doctors and his mother's word.

"I am sorry but you should give up while you can young boy"

"I'm so sorry Izuku"

"No that wasn't what I really wanted to hear Okaasan. What I really wanted to hear was.." Izuku silently thought to himself

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey sorry that this chapter is kinda rushed but I promise to do better on the next chapters


	3. The Mysterious Figure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku's life had drastically changed after he was medically diagnosed as quirkless. At first, people felt sorry for the boy and some even pitied him. However, after a while, people started distancing themselves from him and some even started bullying him with his former best friend becoming the main bully.

**A few months later at the Park**

"Hey, Deku" Katsuki calls out to Izuku with his lackeys closely walking behind him

"Ka...achan" Izuku stutters out of fear

As Katsuki started walking towards Izuku he notices the sketchbook in his hands

"What do you have here Deku" Katsuki grins and forcibly rips the notebook out of Izuku's hands

"Please give it back Kachan!" Izuku pleads to Katsuki in tears

Katsuki flips through the notebook and notices a drawing of what looked like a hero costume and ideas for a hero name.

"Seriously, Deku?!" Katsuki and the bakusquad started bursting out into laughter

"I can't believe he's still trying to be a hero"

"I know right I mean he's quirkless"

Katsuki then proceeds to burn the book with his explosions in front of Izuku and stomps on it on the ground. Then, he grabs the green head by his shoulders with a huge smile on his face and punches him in the stomach. The others join in and start to kick Izuku relentlessly.

"Uggh"

"Huff" coughing

"Oww please stop" Izuku cries out in pain begging them to stop

As Izuku tried to get up, Katsuki grabs his hair and pulls Izuku's face up. When their eyes meet Katsuki grins looking at the fear and pain in Izuku's eyes

"Give up, you will never be a hero you shitty nerd no matter how hard you try because you are and always will be a useless quirkless deku"

Katsuki lets go of Izuku's hair and walks away as he leaves him completely alone on the ground. 

Izuku tries to get up again but his vision starts turning black and he slowly starts slipping into unconsciousness

A couple of minutes later

Izuku wakes up in the middle of the park where he had been left by Katsuki and his bakusquad. Every part of his body screams in pain as he tries to get up.

"Arggh... luckily Kacchan didn't use his quirk on me so I don't have any burns today and I don't think any of my bones are broken or fractured but I might have blunt force head trauma injury judging by how I had a concussion just now"

Izuku moves around his hands, feet, and body to check for any other side effects

"Well, it seems that I don't have any physical side effects and I don't have any problems thinking. I should probably get a CT scan just in case if I begin to have any other symptoms but I probably won't need it. Also, I should probably avoid any kind of heavy exercise for the next 24 hours at least even if there wasn't any kind of damage. " Izuku mumbles to himself

He looks around for his notebook and finds it on the ground near him. Izuku then picks it up and looks at the burned and crumpled up drawing. He stares at it for a couple of minutes until he notices the tears spilling from his eyes onto his notebook. 

"What if he's right," Izuku thought to himself

"Maybe I should give up..."

A sudden flash of All Might appears in Izuku's mind and he instantly slaps himself to drives his negative thoughts away

"No, pull yourself together Izuku, you have to be strong, you are going to be a hero just like All Might" Izuku wipes his tears away

Izuku goes to the nearby fountains to wash the dirt off his clothes and clean his bruises. As he turned on the faucet he sensed someone or something's presence but it quickly disappears so he dismisses it as his imagination or that his head injury was getting to him. After he finishes cleaning up, he walks back home.

\------------------------------------------------------------------

**Night at the Midoriya Household: the second dream**

Izuku woke up to find himself in the same scenery he saw a few months ago. Except for this time, he could see the white silhouette clearly. He was right it was a wolf. Izuku had only seen wolves in books or nature documentaries but seeing in it person was completely different. The wolf had fur that was white as snow with beautiful golden eyes that shined like the sun. He was admiring the beauty of the wolf, then suddenly the wolf gestured something to him.

  
The wolf gestured as if she wanted the boy to follow her. Izuku looks towards where the wolf is pointing his/her head and decides to follow her. As he followed the wolf he noticed how graceful her movement was. He remembered reading somewhere that wolves were powerful and prideful animals. While all those were true he could see that there was more to the beautiful animal than the books had explained. He couldn't put his finger on it but to him, the wolf seemed gentle and majestic as far as he could see and somehow familiar. 

Izuku reaches the destination the wolf had led him to and again the wolf mysteriously vanishes into thin air, nowhere to be seen. He looks around at his surrounding, this time he could see a village. He looks around the place until another gust of wind hits him again and that mysterious voice appears."........... remember let your wings fly freely regardless of what other people say for it is only you who can carve out your own path"

Izuku tries to turn around to where the voice is coming from but the strong wind keeps him from doing it. He manages to barely get a glimpse of a shadow but his vision starts going black again

"Wait, who are you!" Izuku shouts at the shadow

"........... remember let your wings fly freely regardless of what other people say" the shadow repeated itself

His vision goes completely black before he could reach out to the shadow.

"Wait, DON'T GO!"

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

**Morning: Izuku's pov**

"Izuku!"

Izuku slowly wakes up to notice his mother shaking him

"...Oka..san.."

After his mother stops shaking him, Izuku regains his posture and looks around to see that he was back in the room again. He also realizes that his clothes were completely drenched in sweat.

"What happened?," Izuku asks his mother

"I was going to tell you that breakfast was ready and was about to knock on your door when I heard you screaming. I think you had a nightmare sweety" Inko explains to him

Izuku tries to register his mothers' words into his head and starts remembering the dream.

"Are you alright?" His mother asks worryingly

"I'm ok Okaasan" Izuku answers

"Are you sure? Because by the way, you screamed you must have had a pretty scary nightmare?"

"I'm perfectly fine Okaasan. Plus it wasn't scary at all. It was kind of nice actually" Izuku tries to reassure his mother

"Nice?" his mother looks at him confused

"Yeah, I don't know why but I felt so safe and warm in that dream" Izuku gently smiles while remembering the dream

For a moment the room fell into silence

"Ok if you say so sweety but tell me if there's anything wrong ok" his mother gently smiles at him

"Ok"

Izuku always used to love it when his mother smiled but ever since he was diagnosed as quirkless they always seem sad and filled with guilt. Its no wonder, although he tries to hide it from her, she must have noticed all the bruising, burns, and cuts on him every time he comes home. Considering her personality he must have caused her to be worried about him a lot.

"Now go get changed, breakfast is ready"

"Yes, mam"

As he starts changing his clothes, he smiles remembering the voice's words

"........... remember let your wings fly freely regardless of what other people say for it is only you who can carve out your own path"

"Yoshi! I'm going to do my best today too!" Izuku looks at himself in the mirror with a newfound determination

\------------------------------------------------------------------

**After Izuku left for school: Inko Pov**

Inko sits down with a cup of tea in the living room after she returned home from sending Izuku to school.

Inko had always been overprotective about her son and constantly worries about him especially since he was diagnosed as quirkless. Inko had noticed the cuts, bruises, and burns on Izuku and has tried to question him about it on multiple occasions but he always brushes her off by saying he's ok. She hates herself for not being able to do anything as she hopelessly watches her son's beautiful emerald eyes that were full of life turn duller by the minute and cheerful personality becoming closed off. But she also knows she is also the reason behind her son's suffering.

Inko looks at her reflection in the tea and wonders why she couldn't say the words he needed that day. The moment she had chosen to apologize to him that day, she had failed him as a mother. Its no wonder Izuku closed himself from her.

So, Inko was so happy when she saw her son genuinely smile again but at the same time felt bitter at her inability to help.

When she saw how Izuku explained about his dream, she felt a deep sense of defeat. While she could do nothing, the dream had comforted her son and gave his smile back.

Inko truly believed that she could give everything he needed even without her husband. That she alone was enough and that she needed no one else. But now.....

She goes to her bedroom and opens her closet. She picks up a box that was hidden in the corner of the top shelf and opens it up. She tries to throw the contents of the box into the trash until

"Okaasan"

Inko collapses onto the floor crying. She couldn't bear throwing the contents away knowing that it could take her son's smile away from her forever.

"I'm so sorry Izuku" Inko cries hysterically

She always knew somewhere deep in her heart that the person Izuku really needed wasn't her but she was too scared to admit it. She was no better than the people trying to push him down for his dreams. She had forcibly tied down her son's wings telling herself it was for his safety when in fact it was for her own ego.

But she couldn't bear losing him not after what she went through. It would literally tear her apart... But was it worth destroying her son's happiness over?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not have any kind of medical knowledge so I am sorry if I am wrong or made any kinds of mistakes  
> I know that 5-year-olds should not normally know about medical terms but there is a reason for this that I will later explain throughout the story


	4. The Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nearly 2 years later since the news of the ancient ruins was broadcasted, archeologists discovered another artifact here in Japan. The Japanese Division of the TDRF was entrusted with the research and analysis of the ancient piece of machinery. However, they have not made much progress whatsoever. Unfortunately, the piece of technology was far more advanced than initially anticipated and scientists are unable to make a full analysis. As a last hope, Ray called in a friend who might be able to give them a clue as to what the mysterious ancient artifacts could be.

**2041: At the Airport**

Ryo waits nervously at the arrival gates as he tries to look for someone in the flood of people pouring out

"Hey! I'm over here" Ryo calls out to a man after spotting him

"Hey! Long time no see old friend" The man runs towards him while dragging his travel case. 

"Oh you still consider me a friend even though you never bothered picking up my phone calls until the last week"

The man starts panicking when he sees his friend sulking

"I'm so sorry I didn't mean to it's just that I became so focused on making this device that I completely forgot and I don't mean that the device is more important than you it's just"

"hahaha, I was just joking seriously, you need to learn how to loosen up a little bit Ray" Ryo laughs

"I hate it when you do that" Ray deadpans

"Oh come on don't pout babyface. Hey, who are you trying to make a call to? " Ryo asks when he notices Ray dialing something

"I'm gonna tell Mahiro that you were the one who spilled coffee on his teddy bear back in college" Ray grins

"Wait, please I'm sorry don't do that, Mahiro will literally kill me if he finds out!" Ryo begs Ray

"Oh hey, Mahiro"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!"

"I was just joking, you need to loosen up a little bit Ryo" Ray waves the black screen in his face

"Uggh I can't believe you" Ryo slaps himself in the face

"Anyway, why did you ask me to come here Ryo?" Ray asks Ryo

"Oh maybe because I missed you so much and I wanted to see your face"

"Stop fooling around Ryo. We both know that you didn't call me here without a really good reason" Ray looks at Ryo with a serious expression on his face

"Your right I called you because I needed your other expertise and skills" Ryo sighs

"But first let's get your stuff in the car and I'll explain on the way to the facility"

"Alright"

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**In the car**

"Do you remember the news about the ruins from 2 years ago?" Ryo asks

"Yes, I remember but what does that have to do with me?" Ray deadpans

"Well, we found an artifact that is believed to be tied to it here in Japan"

"Ok"

"The artifact we found turned out to be some sort of Holocron device. Unfortunately, we're having problems figuring out the structure of this device."

"I can see, why you would need my expertise in the technological field but it still doesn't explain why you called me here? There are hundreds of other scientists you could have called that have more experience in the matter." Ray tilted his head and looked at Ryo curiously

"The thing is we accidentally, caused the device to turn on when we were researching it" Ryo starts sweating fearing what would happen next

"It was you, wasn't it" Ray glares at Ryo

"huhuhuhu" Ryo whistles while turning his head away to avoid Ray's eyes

"I swear one day your gonna end up getting into whole lotta trouble" Ray sighs

"Anyway, when the device turned on it showed us a lot of stuff including this"

Ryo takes out a tablet from his bag and after turning it on gives it to Ray. Ray stares at the image on the screen and holds his mouth   
Transmutation Circle

Ray stares at the image on the screen and holds his mouth 

"!"

"This is why I called you"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The reason why this chapter is really short is that I thought that with all these different timelines it would make the chapter confusing so I decided to separate them into different chapters. Also, the flashback chapters have a lot of hints regarding MC's past so I couldn't make it too long. I wanted to reveal it bit by bit making the story sound more exciting.


	5. New Determination

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku gains newfound strength with the dream's words.

**2336 Teacher's lounge: Teacher's Pov**

"Nishikawa sensei"

Nishikawa sensei snaps back out of his thoughts to see another teacher standing in front of him

"Are you ok?" The other teacher asks him with concern

"Sorry, Sakurada sensei, my mind must have been somewhere else" Nishikawa sensei awkwardly laughs trying to hide the embarrassment on his face while scratching the back his head

"The heat must have gotten to you too huh" Sakurada grins

"I bet its that brat" another teacher walks in the lounge

"You mean Izuku?" Sakurada looks at the teacher with disgust

The teacher ignores the blatant daggers and stares in the room and continues on rambling

"I mean he has to deal with that freak every day"

"That is no way to call a child Yamaguchi Sensei" Sakurada shouts at Yamaguchi fuming with anger

"Why shouldn't I? That kid is a quirkless trash. I can't believe they still exist in my opinion they shouldn't exist at all" Yamaguchi scoffs

"How could you say that! A quirk isn't everything you know and that child deserves to be treated the same as any other children"

"Oh come on even you don't believe that. No matter where they go quirkless trash will never be treated as the same." Yamaguchi mocks Sakurada

"To be honest even though I don't agree with your ideology Yamaguchi Sensei, you have a point" a different teacher speaks up

"What not you too Endo Sensei..." Sakurada looks toward Endo Sensei with disappointment in her voice

"Just like he said quirkless people are handicapped and will have difficulties in their everyday lifestyle"

"ENOUGH!" Nishikawa shouts

Everyone stops talking immediately and an awkward silence ran the room.

"Sakurada why are you so fixated on Izuku?" Nishikawa sensei questions Sakurada Sensei

"I feel bad for him, every day he is picked on for being quirkless" Sakurada Sensei looks down while fidgeting her hands

"If its pity you are feeling for the child than throw it away it will do him less good than bad" Nishikawa sensei sighs and glares at Sakurada

"But..." Sakurada is left speechless as she could not come up with any other words to rebuttal against Nishikawa Sensei's words.

"Plus that child..."

_**Flashback** _

_Nishikawa Sensei was watching over the children playing in the playgrounds when he spots one of the children sitting alone on the bench. As he looks closer, he realizes that it was Midoriya Izuku the child who had been diagnosed as_ quirkless _._

 _Normally he wouldn't want to have anything to do with someone so troublesome. It's not that he thought bad of_ quirkless _people and did feel pity for them. But to be honest they were a burden to deal with and he didn't want to get caught up in any kind of trouble because of it._

_But for some reason, the boy piqued his interest and he decided to approach the boy._

_"Nishikawa Sensei" Izuku looks up at Nishikawa Sensei_

_"Izuku why are you alone" Nishikawa sits down beside Izuku and asks him_

_"...."_

_The teacher mentally slaps himself after realizing what he had just said. Of_ course _he's alone no one would play with a_ quirkless _kid. He tries to steer the conversation into another direction in order not to upset him any further._

_"Hey can you show me what you are reading" Nishikawa points out at what Izuku was reading in a panic_

_Luckily, it worked and Izuku began explaining everything to him. To be honest, he couldn't care less and wasn't listening to half of the things the kid told him. After calming down, he notices how heavy the book was on top of it everything was written in English. He tries to wrap his head around as to how a 5-year-old child could read such a difficult looking book much less in a foreign language._

_He remembers how the child's mother Inko Midoriya had explained that her husband was working abroad and figured that Izuku must have picked English from him. The book looked only difficult for him because it was in a foreign language but it must be some sort of fairy tale or fantasy book._

_Nishikawa starts getting annoyed with all the boy's mumbling and tries to remind himself that he was dealing with a child and trying his best not to lash out._

_The final straw hit him when the kid started on about wanting to be a hero one day._

_"You know Izuku there are many other jobs out there other than being a hero right" Nishikawa Sensei smiles_

_Nishikawa wasn't trying to be mean but the kid needed to realize the reality he was faced with._

_"I'm sorry but it would be difficult for a..."_

_"A_ quirkless _trash to be a hero" Izuku interrupts him_

_"!" Nishikawa is shocked_

_"I know what you want to say Sensei everyone has been saying it to my face" Izuku looks straight into the teacher's eyes_

_Nishikawa becomes alarmed by the boy. The boy had seen through him and his intentions. It was as if the kid could read his mind._

_"If everyone is telling you to give up, then why don't you give up? Everyone knows a_ quirkless _person can't be a hero" Nishikawa tries to provoke the boy_

_"Just because everyone said and believes it doesn't mean its true. People used to believe that the earth was flat, kings and queens were absolute, superpowers were a dream but here we are now." Izuku rebuffs him_

_"That may be true but..." Nishikawa tries to talk back_

_"If I don't at least try then nothing will start" Izuku interrupts him again_

_"You might come to regret it one day you know" Nishikawa grinds his teeth and clenches his fist._

_"Maybe but I don't want to give up. After all, only I can choose and carve out the path I want to walk" Izuku reaches his hands towards the sky with determination burning in his eyes_

_Nishikawa just stares at the boy until the bell starts ringing_

_"Oh, the bell is ringing I better get back to class"_

_"Uhh yeah" Nishikawa snaps out of the stare_

_He sees the boy running towards the classroom and was about to get ready to go there himself when Izuku turned around and looks at him with a grin on his face_

_"Oh yeah, Sensei, I noticed that you have thoracic scoliosis which might be the cause of your migraines lately. Since yours look pretty light, you might have not taken it seriously, but I recommend you get physical therapy. Surgery is also an option, but even with today's technology spinal surgery can be risky. So I suggest you take the safer option. "_

_"Wait What! How did you know about that?! Wait, Izuku!...."_

_Before Nishikawa could ask more Izuku had already run off back to the classroom leaving him in complete and utter bewilderment._

_**Flashback end** _

"That kid is tougher than we all think"

Suddenly all hell broke loose as everyone in the lounge looks at Nishikawa in bewilderment.

"Hey Nishikawa Sensei, are you really sure that you're ok?" Sakurada looks at Nishikawa with concern

"Yeah the heat must have gotten to your head" Yamaguchi panics

"Should I call the doctor" Eno joins in

"What the hell are you talking about?" Nishikawa deadpan

"Sorry, it's just I've never seen you defend a kid like that before" Sakurada backs away from Nishikawa slowly

"Yeah, normally you try to avoid anything troublesome so we're sort of shocked" Yamaguchi and Eno gulps together

"Let's just say it's my intuition"

"Wait you have an intuition?"

Everyone tries to hold Sakurada's mouth but unfortunately, it was too late. When they turned around Nishikawa was standing over them

"Oh now could you repeat what you just said right now" Nishikawa smiles

"We're doomed..." everyone looks at Nishikawa's smile in horror

Nishikawa thinks back to Izuku's words and grins while punishing the teachers

\--------------------------------------------------------------

**On the way home**

"Hachoo! I should go home before I get a cold although it might be too late" Izuku sneezes

Izuku was drenched from head to toe. After his talk with Nishigawa sensei, his classmates splashed him with a water of bucket when he opened the door. Although they apologized to Izuku claiming it was an accident he knew they did it on purpose. But he forgave them anyway. When the teachers arrived and discovered the mess, they were extremely furious at Izuku for causing it and he was forced to clean the floors until they were satisfied with the result. Nobody bothered giving him towel let alone dry sets of clothes to change into. He was forced to wear his drenched clothes until school was over.

"Hachoo! It's so cold"

He was shivering the entire time. Although, it was still September and the weather today was hot, the temperature started dropping during the afternoon and it was becoming slightly colder. As he was walking he could see some adults were pinching their nose around him. The water in the bucket must have been dirty if he smelled bad. He wishes he could hide from everyone right this moment.

"Man I have really bad luck today. Okaasan's home today how am I going to explain this to her today?" Izuku mutters to himself

He looks up and realizes he's in front of the park where Kacchan and his gang beat him up yesterday.

"I wonder if anyone else is there today"

Izuku decides to take a sneak peak in the park. He hides in one of the bushes hoping nobody would discover him. As he looks over, there he sees his old friends playing on the playground. Izuku looks longingly at them, not too long ago he was a part of them back when they still hadn't discovered he was quirkless yet.

"Hmmm, who's there?" Katsuki looks towards the bush where Izuku is hiding at

"Oh no, he's gonna find me, I should have known Kacchan would find me he always had good instincts, I should have left sooner" Izuku starts panicking

Just when Izuku had lost all hope a gust of wind appeared and a startled rabbit hops out of the bushes.

"Oh it was just you huh" Katsuki looks at the rabbit

"Katsuki come on" One of Katsuki's lackeys calls him

"Quit shouting you goddamn extras!" Katsuki looks at the bush one last time and leaves to join his lackeys

"Thank god" Izuku sighs in relief

He looks towards the ground to discover a towel lying right in front of him. He picks it up wondering where it could have come from, maybe somebody dropped it. But it wasn't there when he was there so maybe it was carried by that gust of wind just now. If it was maybe somebody was looking for it, he should probably return it to them then.

"Hachoo!" Izuku sneezes again

"I think I might have gotten worse"

Izuku stares at the towel contemplating whether he should use it or not. It probably belonged to someone he shouldn't use things without asking for permission right? Another gust of wind breezes through and he starts shivering

"I'm sorry Mr. Owner for using your towel without your permission but I'll promise to take good care of it and return it to you"

Izuku wraps the towel around himself. The towel was soft, fluffy, warm and so comfortable that he couldn't help himself but cuddle his face into it for a while.

Just as Izuku was heading towards the entrance he senses that strange presence he felt yesterday looking at him again. But it disappeared the moment Izuku tried to turn in that direction.

"Hmmm... that's weird" Izuku wonders to himself

Izuku then looks towards at the park's clock and starts panicking

"Oh no, I should hurry up and get back home!"

Izuku quickly runs out of the park putting the strange presence into the back of his mind as he hurries home.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Midoriya household: Inko Pov.**

Inko hears the door opening and rushes to the entrance hall

"I'm home"

"Welcome home...." Inko becomes speechless halfway through

"What happened? Why are you so wet sweety?" Inko leans down to her son shocked

"Oh I accidentally bumped into someone carrying a bucket of water when we were cleaning and it sort of splashed all over me" Izuku laughed

Inko is horrified at the state her son is in. Bumping into someone wouldn't cause anyone to become this wet. Someone must have dumped it on him on purpose

"Izuku please tell me who did this to you" Inko commands her son

"Like I said I accidentally bumped into someone..." Izuku replies

"Please tell me Izuku!" Inko cries while shaking her son

"I said I accidentally bumped into someone so please don't worry about it Okaasan" Izuku smiles to his mother

Inko shudders for a moment and releases her son from her grips.

"Ok but please tell me if there's anything wrong"

"You don't have to worry Okaasan" Izuku answers

"I'll warm up the bath ok so can you go fetch the clothes in your room" Inko sighs and points at the bathroom

"Ok, Okaasan"

"Wait Okaasan!" Izuku calls out to his mother

"Yes Izuku?" Inko turns around

Izuku gives his mother the towel that he wrapped himself with.

"Can you help me clean this?"

"Oh my, where did you get this from?" Inko inspects the towel

"I found it and I want to return it to its owner" Izuku brightly replies

"Ok sweety" Inko chuckles

"Hey Okaasan, do you think the owner will be angry for me using the towel without permission?" Izuku guiltingly looks down at the floor while fidgeting his hands

Inko was stricken by Izuku's cuteness. She had always known that her son was a kind and gentle boy. Most children (in her opinion) wouldn't feel guilty for using what they found afterall finder's keepers right. However, her son is a totally different story only he would feel guilty about something like this. Her son's kindness never ceases to amaze her.

"I think it will be alright as long as you are honest and apologize about it" Inko smiles

"Really, you think so?"

"Of course" Inko chuckles

"Ok!" Izuku's face lit up

After Izuku goes to his room, Inko goes to the bathroom. There she wonders about what she could do to help her son. Every time she offers help, Izuku refuses it. Of course, her kind son wouldn't seek help, he probably thinks it's his fault for getting bullied in the first place. But it hurts every time when she sees him make up excuses for those bullies even though they obviously don't deserve it.

She wanted to help Izuku, she truly did but as long as he refused to admit it there was little she could do. As much as her son was kind, he was also very stubborn, knowing him he would try to resolve things on his own. If she disrespected his decisions than it would shatter their already fragile relationship...

But a strong will can last only so long... Inko should know, she was a victim of bullying too during her school years. People bullied her because she came from a very poor family. The only reason she survived was because Mitsuki was by her side. People who were less lucky than her were often crushed and became broken shells of what they once used to be. She shudders remembering everything all over again.

It must be worse for Izuku. If people were petty enough for bullying her because she was poor she couldn't imagine what they would do to someone who is quirkless... If only he had someone he could talk to someone he could rely on...

Flashes of the box in her closet appear in her mind

"......."

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Midoriya Household Izuku's Room: Izuku's Pov**

"Izuku is it alright if I come in?" Inko asks her son

Izuku hesitated as to whether he should let his mother in or not but ultimately decides to do so

"It's alright Okaasan"

Inko enters the room and joins her son on his bed. There was a silent and awkward atmosphere in the room until Inko decided to break the silence"

"Izuku there's something I want to give you. I thought it could wait when you were older but here"

Inko hands a mysterious music box to Izuku. Izuku looks at the music box with curiosity as he had never seen one before. Music boxes were very rare since their production stopped over 200 years ago. You can only see them in high-end antique shops nowadays even then it was rare to find a fully intact one.

"Thanks, Okaasan" Izuku thanks his mother

"Your welcome, Izuku" Inko smiles at her son with a slightly sad expression on her face

Inko leaves the room shortly thereafter leaving her son to inspect the box. The longer Izuku inspected the box the more he felt a strange sense of familiarity with it. On the cover of the box, he discovers an engraving

To our one and only beloved son

Izuku stares at the engravings and figures that whoever originally owned this music box must have planned on giving it to their son. As he opens it the music starts playing.

**D-Grayman the musicians 14th's song**

_Falling fast asleep_

_May this little boy find blissful dreams_

_Among and the flames that light up the night Sky_

_One by one falling softly_

_With your silhouette_

_Casting Shadows of your lovely face_

_I watch the sky_

_As a million dreams are shining_

_Little dreams, little dreamer_

_Within the tender night, your silver eyes were trembling_

_That moment you shined pure_

_Born anew into this world_

_Across a million years,_ time _has brought us here_

_Our prayers burn into the earth_

_Back where they shall return to time_

_I will never stop this prayer leaving my lips_

_Someone, please show this child what lov_ e is

_Take those tiny hands and leave a kiss_

As the music played, Izuku's heart started filling with warmth and love he hadn't felt since..... Without even realizing it tears had begun to spill from his eyes onto the music box. Izuku hugged the box with all his heart.

Unknown to him his mother who had on planned on telling him dinner was ready stood near the door listening to her son crying with a guilty expression on her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Normally people wouldn't expect preschool teachers to talk like this. But remember not every people become teachers because they love kids. I've met a lot of awful teachers who seem more interested in themselves rather than the kids they teach.
> 
> I know the comedic relief scene was a bit of an overkill but still, I thought it would be funny to put it in there


	6. The Ancient Artifact

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ryo and Mahiro bring their old friend Ray to the Research Facility in hopes of solving the mystery behind the ancient artifact

** 2041 The Research Facility **

Mahiro tapped his foot as he waited for Ryo to arrive with Ray. It had been a long time since college that the three of them met up like this. He started growing restless when looking at the time on his wristwatch. Ryo and Ray were taking longer than he had expected. A car pulled over at the entrance and both of them finally came out.

"Hey, Ray long time no see" Mahiro ran up and hugged his old friend

"Hey, Mahiro how are you doing?" Ray hugged back

"Better, if Ryo would keep his hands to himself for 3 minutes" Mahiro patted Ray on his shoulders after releasing him from the hug

"Wow, so he's still causing you trouble" Ray laughs

"You have no idea, last week he accidentally caused division chief Matsuda to go bald with one of his devices" Mahiro carried his head 

"Oh fuck. What happened after that?" Ray's face twitched

"Luckily his hair grew back in 2 weeks but the horrors of paperwork I had to deal with because of that idiot!" Mahiro whimpers

"I think you drew the short end of the stick the moment he became your childhood friend" Ray laughed as he wrapped his hand around Mahiro's shoulders

"You know I'm still here right?" Ryo butts into the conversation with both his hands full with Ray's luggage

"I would appreciate it if you carried your own luggage Ray" Ryo grins with his eyebrows twitching in annoyance

"I'm sorry about that Ryo let me take those off your hands" 

Ryo gives the case back to his friend

"Now let's go inside you can leave your luggage with reception staff while we're in the Research Facility" Mahiro invites both of them inside

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

** The Research Lab **

The door to the research lab opens showing a white room. The opposite side of the room is separated by a thick wall. You could see machines scanning the device through the bullet and fireproof glass. 

"So this is the Holocron device you were talking about, indeed it is magnificent. You would hardly believe that this was created by people from 7,000 years ago." Ray inspects the devices through one of the computers placed in the room

"Yes, this technology is way advanced even in terms of our modern technology" Ryo nods

"It is thought that this civilization was more advanced both in terms of society and technology" Mahiro reports

"I can see why they would think like that. But why were there no records about them until now?" Ray asks curiously

"That's why we thought you would know something about it" Ryo looks at Ray

"We thought you could help us with your expertise" Mahiro looks at Ray

"To be honest, I've never heard anything about the 7,000-year-old civilization. Everyone including me was just as surprised when it was discovered and I haven't heard anything about it from the others as well." Ray sighs

Mahiro and Ryo look down in disappointment. They thought Ray would know something about the device. 

Mahiro and Ryo met Ray when they went to study abroad in the United States for a year. Ray was an Asian American student studying in the college they went to. They started talking because of Ray's interest in his Japanese heritage. That was when Ryo accidentally stumbled upon Ray performing Alkahestry on an injured bird when he was sneaking around town. Ever since then they became the best of friends. After hanging out with him for a couple of months, they discovered that there was a whole alchemist society hidden from the public's eyes all over the world. Mahiro fainted when he heard there was also a hidden society of mages as well. 

They had hoped that Ray might have known or at least heard something... 

"Well if the data that this device showed was encrypted by an alchemist than I can probably do something about it. Plus the language looks a little bit similar to ancient Xerxese" Ray stares at the codes

"Thank you, Ray!" Both of their faces light up by the news

Ray turns his seat around to face the computers and crackles his fingers as he starts getting ready to decrypt this entire data. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized after rereading the story that it was completely messed up but I still plan on continuing this fanfiction. I will probably release a rewrite version of this story later on once I'm finished with this one though.


	7. Martial Arts Master

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku receives an offer to be trained in the arts of the Martial Arts

**2336 Police Station: Izuku Pov. **

Izuku woke up early today and went to the nearby police station to deliver the towel with his mother after they were done eating breakfast.

"Good Morning, Inko and Izuku" greeted the Policeman

"Good Morning, Officer Takahashi" Inko and Izuku greeted the officer back

Izuku liked Officer Takahashi very much, he was one of the few adults who still actually treats him like a normal person despite knowing his condition.

Ever since the rise of pro-heroes, there was less necessity for Koubans with them patrolling the area. The police organization also started investing more in crime investigation and prosecution because of this. Officer Takahashi was one of the few policemen at the police station who still took their jobs seriously. Everyone in the neighborhood respected his diligence, even his colleagues who occasionally tease him for being such a pushover.

Even though many heroes were patrolling the area he would always go despite his colleague's protest saying you could never be too safe. Whenever he goes on patrol, he always makes sure to check up on everyone in the area. He would run small errands for the grandma in the neighborhood making sure she was comfortable, give advice, and offer help for the single father who recently got divorced, and the list goes on.

He would also check on Inko from time to time knowing she was struggling to raise her son Izuku, especially since they found out he was quirkless. He would stop the bullies whenever he found them bullying the boy but they always escape before he arrives.

"How can I help you both today?" Officer Takahashi asks

"Umm, I found this in the park yesterday can you help me find the owner so I can return it to them?" Izuku hands the towel over to the police officer

"Ok, I'll check if anyone's filed a report for a missing towel" Officer Takahashi guided them into the police station

Officer Takahashi turns on the computer and opens the file for reported missing items

"Hmmm... it seems nobody filed a report for a missing towel" the officer reports

"Oh..." Izuku looks down obviously disappointed with the results

"Cheer up Izuku, just because it wasn't reported doesn't mean it won't be. The owner might realize later on he lost the item, there are cases where people reported missing items after they've been missing for a month or two."

"Wow, a month" Izuku looked at the officer with amazement

"Yeah a month, we'll keep the towel in police custody until the owner reports it missing or we find them."

"But, I have to apologize to the owner"

"Why?" Officer Takahashi asks Izuku curiously

"I used the towel without the owner's permission" Izuku guiltily looks at the Officer

Officer Takahashi bends down towards Izuku and puts his hands on his shoulder

"While it is certainly wrong to use someone's thing without their permission, you admitted what you were doing was wrong and decided to apologize and take the consequences for it instead of lying or keeping quiet about it. That is something many people have a hard time doing and what you did is a very good thing." Officer Takahashi gently smiles to the boy

"Really?"

"Really, but make sure not to do it again and if you ever find something bring it straight to me got it?" Officer Takahashi reassures Izuku

"Ok" Izuku smiles brightly

After they were done filing the report Inko and Izuku bowed to the officer and were preparing to leave when the Officer gestured Izuku to come towards him. Izuku looks at his mother eyeing her for her permission. Inko gently nods to her son allowing him to talk with the officer. Izuku then runs towards the officer.

"So Izuku, I was wondering if you were interested in learning Martial Arts?" Officer Takahashi bends down to Izuku whispering to him

"Martial Arts?" Izuku tilted his head

"Yes, my grandfather wanted to teach you" Officer Takahashi replies

"Martial Arts" Izuku whispered to himself

Izuku had read about martial arts in the library he frequently visits. Although people nowadays tended to look down on martial arts, depending on how skilled the user is, it could easily be just as powerful as any quirk. 

Before the age of quirks learning some form of Martial Arts was standard practice in any kind of profession that required combat such as the police and military. However, with the rise of quirks, the ancient practice regressed as more and more people focused on fighting styles that relied on their quirk. Even today very few heroes practice it and even if they did they usually only focus on the very basics. 

Izuku thinks about the benefits he could gain from learning martial arts. Although he hated to admit it, the doctor was right, at this stage, he was defenseless in the eyes of people with quirks. He knew if he wanted to catch up with everyone else than he had to do a lot more than just read in the library. He needed to learn how to fight.

"Please tell Taka-Ojiichan that I said yes!" Izuku spirit is on fire

"Are you sure? He's strict, are you sure you can handle it?"

"YES!"

"I knew you would say yes, come to this address tomorrow. It's close to your house so I think you should be able to find it" Officer Takahashi hands Izuku a handwritten map

"Ok!" Izuku smiles while looking at the paper

"Izuku we better get going" Inko calls her son

"Ok, I'm coming. See you tomorrow Officer Takahashi" Izuku waves to the officer

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------

** Police Station after Inko and Izuku leaves **

"Hey Officer Takahashi" Another officer enters the station

"Hey Officer Ono, how was patrol?" Officer Takahashi asks

"Other than trying to stop Tanaka-san from strangling her husband, everything was perfectly normal" 

"What did they fight about this time?" Takahashi sighs

The Tanaka couple fighting was a common scene and it always ended up in the carnage. They would always fight over the littlest of things. Its always been the same routine for the last 5 years. Both Takahashi and Ono sometimes wonder why they are still married to each other despite all of that. Marriage is truly a mystery sometimes.

"Well, Tanaka-san forgot to set the timer on the air conditioner so it was on during the entire night. He did this 5 days in a row and his wife was not pleased when she saw this month's gas and electricity bills" Ono explains

"Yikes, I'm with the wife on this one. Gas and electricity bills are no joke"

"I agree" Ono nods

"Oh yeah was that Inko and Izuku just now?" Ono asks Takahashi

"Yes"

"Damn, I wanted to have a rematch with him" Ono scowls

"Will you give it up, he's beaten you at chess like 30 times already, I'm sorry old friend but your never going to beat him" Takahashi deadpans

"Hey, I'll have you know he only beat me 28 times, not 30!" Ono huffs, crossing his arms

"Still doesn't make that much of difference" Takahashi stares at Ono

"So, why was the boy here?" Ono asks

"He came to deliver a lost item and I promised I would call him as soon as I found the owner"

"As expected of the kid, he's got a good heart" Ono looks like a proud father bragging about his son

"Yes, he does" Takahashi agrees

After spending a long time with the boy, Takahashi and Ono have grown very fond of him. They also know just how talented the boy truly is. It was truly a shame that society didn't have an eye for people. If the boy had been born in a different generation he could have been hailed as a prodigy instead of being scorned for quirkless. 

"You plan on getting your grandfather to teach martial arts to the kid? I mean no offense but your grandfather can be very very strict sometimes." Ono looks at his friend full of doubt

Officer Takahashi comes from a very long line martial artists that could be dated back to the Kamakura Period. According to ancient records, his ancestors once traveled to mainland China to learn the art and returned once they mastered it. They were often employed as soldiers or bodyguards for important political figures and were a well-respected figure until the fall of the Tokugawa Bakufu during the Edo period. Even though they fell from the grace of the social ranks they still opened the dojo to anyone willing to learn. However, over time less afewer students came and they were forced to close it down a couple of years ago. 

Officer Takahashi's grandfather was the last practitioner of the ancient arts. He was famous for his strictness in the entire neighborhood. He was one of the reasons why the dojo had very few students. He would kick anyone out who didn't take the arts seriously. According to him those who didn't understand the true essence of martial arts shouldn't bother coming to the dojo.

Another reason they shut down was that he couldn't find a successor. Unfortunately, no one fitted his standard. He also knew how unprofitable the dojo was and didn't want to force his children or grandchildren to continue the line. After all, children should have the freedom to choose which path they want to take and it wasn't his decision to make. Therefore, he just gave up in the end 

"Yes, actually it was his idea" Takahashi replies

"Wait, What?! " Ono coughed and spitted out the coffee he was drinking

"Wait, wait, wait. Has your grandfather met the boy?!" Ono is disorientated as he tries to wrap his head around what he had just heard

"Yes, apparently he did" Takahashi sighs

"When?!" Ono shouts

"He met Izuku when he helped him walk back to our home. He was impressed by how the boy noticed that he had a knee injury from a couple of years ago causing him to subconsciously protect his leg" Takahashi explains

"Why am I not surprised..." Ono slaps himself in the face

"Hey can you blame him, I mean he managed to charm you too" Takahashi grins

"Anyone would be charmed it they actually get to know the boy." Ono scowls

Takahashi gets up from his seat and starts getting prepared to leave for patrol. As he leaves the station, he smiles up towards the sky

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

** At the Library: Izuku Pov **

After they left the station Inko and Izuku went to the library to return the books he had borrowed last time. While the internet is certainly more convenient, the library carried records, articles and books on certain specific fields from every era and different languages which made it more fascinating to the young boy.

Izuku read all kinds of books varying in different fields, his favorites were from the medical and mechanic fields. He would also occasionally pick up different kinds of puzzle books.

But this time was different. He had asked the librarian beforehand where the old video records of martial arts were. He was going to learn how to fight and he wanted to know more about the ancient art.

"I found it!" Izuku exclaimed

Izuku then played the video. It was an old documentary film on a Buddhist temple in China that practiced Kung Fu.

"Wow, it's amazing. How can they move like that?" Izuku wonders

Another scene appeared it was two people sparring with each other for practice. Izuku suddenly stopped the video when he recognized one of the moves, it was a roundhouse kick.

The roundhouse kick is one of the basic kicks of kung fu. You step in and lift your knee your toes pointed and extend your leg towards the opponents face. But that wasn't what caught Izuku's attention.

"I've seen this before but where?"

Izuku tries to remember where he had seen that move before but tries as he might he couldn't remember anything. Maybe he read it somewhere or saw a hero do a similar kick? No, he knew where exactly he saw it but couldn't point his finger to where.

A flash of the town he saw in his dreams appears in his mind.

"Huh? Why did I remember that" Izuku thought to himself

The dream should have nothing to do with the kick he just saw now. Yet why did he remember it?

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

** First day at the Dojo **

Izuku woke up as soon as he could and left first thing in the morning. When he arrived he already saw senior Takahashi standing in front of the old dojo.

"Good Morning Taka-Ojiichan" Izuku greeted the senior

"Good Morning Izuku" the senior greeted back

"Now, before we get started, change into these" Senior Takahashi handed Izuku an old pair of Dogi 

"I think the size should be right but tell me if they don't fit"

"Ok, Taka-Ojiichan" Izuku stares in awe at the dogi

Izuku quickly goes inside and changes into the dogi Senior Takahashi gave him. The dogi fitted him like a glove. He noticed that the sleeves were really worn out and smile at them. Whoever owned these clothes before must have trained a lot

"I'm ready Taka-Ojiichan" Izuku runs up to the senior

"Hmm, it seems the dogi fits you well" Senior Takahashi checks and pulls on the sleeves to make sure they aren't too long for the boy

"Ok, before we get started we have to clean the dojo. Although I clean this place up daily, its common practice to clean the dojo before and after using it to pay respect to the building" Master Takahashi grabs a towel and a bucket 

"Ok, Taka-Ojiichan!" Izuku nods

"Izuku from now on you must call me Master in the dojo ok?"

"Ok Master!" Izuku says proudly 

Master Takahashi wipes the cabinets and pillars of the dojo while Izuku is wiping the floors. He slips a couple of times but finally manages to get the hang of it on his 4th try. After Izuku is done wiping the floors, he looks proudly at the work he has done. Although it wasn't perfect he did a pretty good job for his first time. Master Takahashi approaches the boy and inspects the floors.

"Hmmm......" Takahashi looks at the corners and finds a speck of dust still laying there

"There's still dust in the corners Izuku. Do it all over again" Master Takashi sighs

"But... it's only a little bit of dust" Izuku tries to protest

"Izuku remember what I told you just now. We have to make sure the dojo is spick and span to pay proper respect towards the building for letting us use it not the other way around. So do it again" Master Takahashi scolds Izuku

"Yes sir!" Izuku salutes to the senior

Izuku wipes the floors all over again while thinking about his master's words. What did respecting the building meant? It was clear that the dojo had a lot of history and was very valuable. But he doubts that's what his master meant.

As Izuku is wiping the floors he notices small dents and scratch marks here and there. A lot of people must have trained in the building. Izuku suddenly starts remembering the words he read in a book once, a very long time ago.

_"People, animals, plants, land, sea, and sky all support each other in some way. With each other, we are able to thrive but without each other, we are unable to survive"_

Izuku mentally slaps himself. His master was right. How could he have been so foolish? If the building had not existed than Izuku probably would never have the chance to learn martial arts from his master. It was because this building was here that his master and many others could learn martial arts here. The dojo helped raise many masters and watched over many students as they trained. The building deserved well-earned respect.

Izuku slaps himself in the face. This time determined to make sure that the building was sparkly clean. He checked every corners and dead space to make sure there was not a speck of single dust in sight.

Master Takahashi comes over again and checks Izuku's work again. 

"I'm very impressed Izuku, you cleaned every crook and cranny of the building. You even placed an incense to the house shrine" Master Takahashi grabs his chin while looking thoroughly impressed with the results

"Now let's get started" Master Takahashi smiles at Izuku

"Yes Sir!" Izuku proudly replies

\------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

** Night at the Takahashi Household: Master Takahashi Pov. **

"Tadaima, Grandpa" Officer Takahashi greets Senior Takahashi as he takes off his shoes and hangs his coat at the entrance hall

"Okaeri, Seichi. How was work today?" Senior Takahashi asks his grandson

"The same as always grandpa" Seichi replies

Senior Takahashi's children moved out of the old house when they got married. His daughter and Seichi's mother had lived in another city with her husband while his son lived in a different prefecture with his family. He had been on his own for a very long time until his grandson moved in with him after he was assigned here by the police force. 

Senior Takahashi and Seichi slowly make their way to the living room. After he sits down on the sofa, his grandson starts preparing tea for his grandfather in the kitchen.

"Here's your tea, Grandpa" Seichi sets down the tea on the table

"Thank you Seichi"

"So how's Izuku? It's been 3 weeks since you started training him right?" Seichi asks

"Better than I expected" Senior Takahashi stops sipping and puts down his tea

"Wow he must be really good for you to be praising him this much" Seichi stares at Senior Takahashi in amusement

"Since when did you become this cheeky. I miss the grandson who couldn't sleep without me and begged me to stay whenever I went back home" Senior Takahashi sighs

"Grandpa!" Seichi cheeks flush in embarrassment

"That is what you get for teasing your elder, young man" Senior Takahashi teases his grandson

"Urgh" Seichi whimpers

"Anyway back to the conversation, Izuku is making far more progress than I ever expected for someone his age" Senior Takahashi continues on with the conversation

It had been 3 weeks since Senior Takahashi started training the boy. Izuku was indeed a very fast learner. His grandson was right about the kid being smart. 

The boy already had a lot of stamina, to begin with, and had a very good physique to boot. He had no problems completing the strength and muscle training that had been laid out for him. Although he was still a little bit rough around the edges it was only a matter of time before Izuku mastered the basic forms. At the rate he was going he could easily become a master by the time he enters high school. 

"Well that kid is talented, I wouldn't be surprised at anything at this point. His only setback is that he doesn't have a quirk" Seichi deadpans

"Well, it also helps that he is a diligent learner. He actually carefully listens and thinks about the words I say to him, unlike those idiots who only follow orders or complain." Senior Takahashi scoffs

Initially, he was worried about the kid being more book smart than street smart but they were quickly dissolved after the first day. 

_**Flashback**_

_"Izuku you know you didn't have to put up incense to the house shrine, although I am grateful that you did." Senior Takahashi asks_

_"It's alright, I wanted to pay my respects to the dojo" Izuku replies_

_"Is it because I told you to do so?"_

_"Yes and No"_

_"Yes and no?" Senior Takahashi was a bit taken aback_

_Most people would either answer him Yes or No, not both. Those who answered yes were at least honest but idiots who could only follow orders nonetheless. Those who answered no just wanted to avoid getting into trouble so they lie which makes them even worse._

_"Yes at first I just followed what you said to me but after think about your words it reminded me something very important that I almost forgot" Izuku explains_

_"Forgot?" Senior Takahashi cuts in asking curiously_

_"People, animals, plants, land, sea, and sky all support each other in some way. With each other, we are able to thrive but without each other, we can't survive. Just like how your ancestor built this dojo allowing it to be here, it also helped raise many martial artists and watched over the many students that entered through its doors. It was because of the cooperation between the martial artists and this dojo, that I was able to have the chance to learn from you."_

** _Flashback End_ **

Senior Takahashi chuckles at the memory. The boy had given him an answer that he himself could have never come up with. 

"What are you smiling about Grandpa?" Seichi asks curiously

"Nothing" Senior Takahashi hums

Speaking of the first day, there was something about the boy that bothered him that day too. 

"Hey, Seichi"

"Yes, Grandpa?" Seichi tilts his head

"Are you sure that the kid didn't have any experience in martial arts before coming to the dojo?" Senior Takahashi glares

"Not that I am aware of? Why did the boy say or do something? Seichi asks curiously 

"No"

That was the problem... The boy had no problems with training, in fact, he was making a lot more progress than Senior Takahashi did when he was his age and he was called a prodigy. But all his experience from training and teaching was telling him that these weren't the result of talent alone that there was something else to the boy. 

He asked the boy once about it before but it seemed he was unaware of it. Izuku didn't seem like the type to lie about things like this. 

"Grandpa?" Seichi asks worryingly 

"It's nothing" Senior Takahashi reassures his grandson

He hopes it is nothing to worry about. He may have simply been overreacting from his old age and paranoia


	8. A Father

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A father is someone who is supposed to teach you, love you, and protect you.  
> A father is supposed to guide and teach you ways of life.   
> Yet, for as long as Izuku could remember no one other than his mother was there for him.

** School: Katsuki Pov. **

Katsuki pulled his shoe from out of the shelf and was about to get ready to go home himself when he noticed Deku at the entrance tying up his shoelaces.

Deku was smiling a lot recently and he always rushed to go to that old geezer's place whenever the class was over. He hated it whenever he saw the nerd's smile it irritated him to no end. An idea pops into Katsuki's head as he grins.

"Hey Deku where the hell do you think you're going?" Katsuki calls out to Izuku

"Ka..chan" Deku stutters

Good, it seemed that the useless bastard was still afraid of him.

"I bet you're going to that old geezer's place. Well, it suits you since both of you are useless." Katsuki grins

"Don't talk about Master like that!" Deku cried and stood up

Katsuki was a little shocked at first. This was the first time the crybaby ever talked back to him without stuttering. But no worries he will soon crush that spirit out of him.

"Master? Ahahaha what is he teaching you how to trim Bonsai or something that's so hilarious!" Katsuki bursts out in laughter

"I don't need to tell you Kacchan so move I have to go before I'm late" Deku glances over his shoulders

What the little nerd should be afraid of him! Why isn't he stuttering?! Katsuki tries to calm down from his agitated state. He was furious the little nerd had the guts to dare to order him around.

"Don't fool yourself Deku, you think anyone would choose to hang out with a quirkless bastard like you!? I bet the only reason he's doing it because he needs a little errand boy whenever his grandson isn't there" Katsuki scoffs thinking he had won

"I don't care what you say about me Kacchan but I will not forgive you for saying anything bad about Master." Deku glares at him

"Huh!" Katsuki's face twitch in anger

"You think a person like Master would do something so low? He would rather die than do anything embarrassing like that!" Deku says in a serious tone

What is going on with the nerd!? He thought, no he made sure that the nerd was crushed. He was a useless bastard who dared thought he could become a hero and stand on the same stage as him. Katsuki needed the nerd to realize his position. Then he smiles when a sinister idea pops into his head

"Why do you defend him so much it's like you act like he's your father?"

"!" The nerd becomes speechless

Katsuki was right on the mark

"Hahaha, of course, you would. After all, your shitty dad abandoned you when you were little, its no wonder you think of that geezer as a dad!" Katsuki bursts out into laughter

Katsuki looks up and sees Deku's face completely flushed from embarrassment. Now all he had to say those words and Deku would be completely crushed

"I bet the reason he doesn't show his face around anymore is that your a useless quirkless bastard! I feel bad for Aunty Inko. If she never had you than she would have been so much happier" Katsuki mocks Deku

Deku looks down and he could hear him trying hard to hold his tears back. He had won. He leaves the distraught boy on his own and walks out the door.

"Bye, you useless nerd"

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

** On the way to the dojo: Izuku Pov. **

Izuku was in a complete daze. Kacchan's words kept ringing into his ears. Was he right? Was it his fault that his father didn't come back home? Would it have been better if he had been born with a quirk or born at all? He had already arrived in front of the dojo without even realizing it.

He was about to enter when he saw a woman come out and hid behind the walls. He peaked over the walls and saw his master talking with the woman. They seemed to know each other. He knew it was wrong but decided to eavesdrop into their conversation.

"Dad, you need to take things easier. You know you're not young anymore" the woman scolded the senior

"I'll be fine. You should worry more about Seichi, Shizuku" the senior snorted

"He's already 30 years old, he can handle himself. It's you, I'm worried about" Shizuku frowns

"I'm old, not daft. I'll be fine you should go back to your husband Shizuku it's him I'm worried the most about" Senior Takahashi retorts

"He can survive a day without me. I'm worried about you, I even heard from Seichi that you took on a student" Shizuku sighs

Izuku chuckles behind the walls. It was funny seeing Master getting scolded since usually, he was the one doing it.

"I can handle it" Senior Takahashi crossed his arms

"Your hardheaded as ever Dad" Shizuku resigns to her father

"You really don't want to see Seichi before you leave?" Senior Takahashi asks

"No, he's already an adult and I know he will be alright. Although I am a little worried about his love life. He takes his work too seriously like you dad." Shizuku giggles

"I told him he's welcome to move out any time when he finally manages to confess to that colleague of his" Senior Takahashi sighs

Izuku already knew that wasn't going to be any time soon. Although the officer was a good and serious man, he was a complete coward when it came to romance. The officer was obviously in love with his colleague Officer Ono. He always kept telling himself that he would confess the next time they had a day off together and 3 years have already passed by. Izuku likes Officer Takahashi but even he thinks he's being idiotic sometimes. Izuku is no expert in romance himself, heck he's still a kid but he knows that this would be quickly resolved if the man just confessed. They were obviously in love with each other, anyone with eyes could tell. 

"Well it would have been better if he was like you in that part too" Shizuku sighs while carrying her head

"Hey it wasn't easy for me too when I confessed to your mother" Senior Takahashi tries to defend his grandson

"Yeah, Yeah dad. I know" Shizuku deadpans

"Anyway take care on the way home" Senior Takahashi pats Shizuku on the head

"Dad, I'm too old for this. I'm almost 56 years old you know" Shizuku playfully laughs

"No matter how old you are, you and your brother will always be my children." Senior Takahashi gently smiles

Izuku slowly slides down to the ground as he heard the words. Izuku was shocked, he had never seen his Master make that kind of face before to him much less received a pat on the head before. He knew that family was different it was expected that the Master had a different side to him only his family knew about. But still...

_"Its no wonder you think of that geezer as a dad!"_

Master was strict but also very kind and most importantly praised him whenever he made some sort of progress. Over time he had started considering the senior as a father figure. He knew was over in his head but a small part of him hoped that Master just may be considered as a son as well.

Sadly, his hopes were dashed the moment he saw the interaction between father and daughter. No matter what he did or how hard he tried it was impossible for him to ever have a relationship like that with his master.

Izuku slowly puts his hands onto his eyes trying his best not to cry. He knew that master not treating him like a son was what was upsetting him. He wasn't jealous of his Master's daughter. He was jealous of the relationship they had as a family.

Izuku longed to have a relationship like that with his own family. Although his mother cared about him very much, she didn't believe in him or trust him the way Master's daughter trusted Officer Takahashi. He would never say this to his mother since it would upset her but he was absolutely heartbroken when he realized she didn't believe he could be a hero or support his dreams. She had already given up on him... Ever since that day his mother started treated him like glass and their relationship became a bit strained.

He didn't know much about his father and remember much about the man. According to his mother, his father was an extremely busy man who worked overseas and that was why he wasn't here. Sometime his father would call to check up on both of them but that was all they get from him. Whenever Inko asked when he would come back, he would always vaguely answer that he's busy and cut the call short.

Oh, what he wouldn't give to have a family like that...

"Izuku what are you doing over here?"

"Nothing master!" Izuku turned around to face his master

"Well stop dilly-dallying and get ready!" His master scolded him

"Yes Sir!" Izuku replied

He needed to focus. He was here to learn so he could become a hero!

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

** Midoriya Household: Inko Pov. **

"Tadaima" Inko takes off her shoes and coat

Inko had finally arrived home after a long day at work. Inko worked at her friend Mitsuki's and her husband's design company. Mitsuki had been begging her for years to work at her place, especially since she moved back here with Izuku. Inko had refused at first thinking it was wrong of her to take advantage of Mitsuki's kindness. However, things had been getting a bit rough nowadays and she finally succumbed to Mitsuki's persistence.

Inko enjoyed her job at the design company it gave her new meaning and purpose in life other than her son. She was in the sales department. She would make appointments, meet with clients, talk with the marketing and design team, made presentations, help make new marketing plans, and so on.

Inko sighs and goes straight to the kitchen to prepare today's dinner for Izuku. When she passes through the living room she sees that someone had left a voice message on the telephone. She presses on the button to hear the message.

"Hey its me, so how are you and our son? Anyway, I called to tell you that I'll probably be overseas for a bit longer. I have this big project on the way and if I succeed I will get a huge promotion. I'm really sorry Inko. Oh yeah, today is our son's birthday, right? He's turning 5 or 6? Sorry, I forgot. I'll call again. Love you"

Inko sighed. Her deadbeat husband as Mitsuki would like to call him had left the moment she became pregnant with their child. He didn't even come back when she had given birth to their son. She wasn't exactly surprised when he got Izuku's birthday or age wrong. She would be surprised if he even remembered their son's name for god's sake.

The last time she heard from him other than that voice message just now was when they discovered that Izuku was quirkless but even then it didn't seem he cared much. All he said was ok and the usual I love and I'll call you later.

Inko should have realized sooner what a terrible person her husband was before they had gotten married. Hisashi only cared about himself and no one else. She was foolish to ever believe he had an ounce of love for her or their child. It took that horrible incident to wake her eyes up to the selfishness of that man. The only reason she didn't divorce him until now was that she didn't want to take her child away from their father and mainly for financial support.

Maybe she should finally get a divorce from him. The man was barely present in her son's life and she already had a stable job thanks to her friend. But its definitely going to be hard to get that man to sign the divorce papers willingly. Mitsuki already had a divorce lawyer ready to stand by and would introduce him in a heartbeat if she asked. Inko also had a friend working at the city hall maybe she could ask him for another favor again.

She hears the door clicking and realizes that it must be Izuku. It was a bit unusual for him to becoming home this early. He would usually hang out and help Senior Takahashi during this time of the day.

Inko was upset at first when Izuku would arrive home late after school. But when she saw how energetic he had become she decided to say nothing about it. In fact, she was secretly glad that it was Senior Takahashi that was watching over Izuku. She had known the Senior since she was a child and knew he was someone she entrusts her son to.

The old man hated people and she saw him drive away many people when the dojo was still open. She thought of him as scary at first too but quickly realized that he was, in fact, a kind-hearted man. When the senior was younger he would always lend an ear to anyone who needed help.

He was the only adult willing to look out for her when she was being targeted by bullies and would sometimes escort her back home when Mitsuki wasn't by her side. He even gave her shelter when she ran away from home.

"Okaeri, Izuku" Inko greeted her son

"..." Izuku remained silent

Inko knew something had happened. Did the bullies do something to him again? Did the teacher punish him again for something he didn't do? Nonetheless, the silence was killing her

"Does Dad care about us?" Izuku asks

Inko was shocked. Why was Izuku suddenly asking her this? He had never asked about Hisashi before. Inko panics thinking about what she should tell her son. Should she tell the truth? No, that would break him.

"Yes, he does" Inko lies

"Then why isn't he here?" Izuku looks down on the floors

"It's because he's very busy honey. But he called today to ask about you" Inko gulps

The voice message starts playing again

"Hey it's me, so how are you and our son? Anyway, I called to tell you that I'll probably be overseas for a bit longer. I have this big project on the way and if I succeed I will get a huge promotion. I'm really sorry Inko. Oh yeah today is our son's birthday, right? He's turning 5 or 6? Sorry, I forgot. I'll call again. Love you"

Darn it, she forgot to delete the message. Inko quickly turns around and runs towards the telephone deleting the message. But it was too late Izuku had heard everything.

"Izuku, I..." Inko tried to reach out to her son

Before she could, Izuku bolted out of the entrance hall into his room.

What had she done...

\----------------------------------------------------------------------

** Midoriya Household Izuku's Room: Izuku Pov. **

Izuku slumped into his bed shoving his head into the pillow to cry.

_"Hey its me, so how are you and our son? Anyway, I called to tell you that I'll probably be overseas for a bit longer. I have this big project on the way and if I succeed I will get a huge promotion. I'm really sorry Inko. Oh yeah, today is our son's birthday, right? He's turning 5 or 6? Sorry, I forgot. I'll call again. Love you"_

The man got his birthday wrong and didn't even say his name. What kind of parent forgets when their child's birthday is?

_"Your shitty dad abandoned you"_

Kacchan was right. His father didn't care about him, he abandoned him... What's worse is that the one who had to suffer the consequences was his mother...

_"I feel bad for Aunty Inko. If she never had you than she would have been so much happier"_

Izuku knew that some of the neighbors had shunned and mocked his mother for giving birth to a quirkless child. They thought of her as a failure since her son was one. Some people even felt sorry for his father instead of criticizing him for leaving his wife and son. He could remember every single hateful word that they said.

_"I can't believe she gave birth to a useless thing like that"_

_"She was always a slut. Maybe she cheated on him and that's why he doesn't come back"_

_"Maybe she did something really bad in the past and that's why her son is quirkless"_

He hated it when they talked behind their back and whispered mean things about her. But deep down in his heart, he knew that it was all his fault that his mother was suffering so much. If only he had been born with a quirk than his father might have come back home much sooner. Better yet if he had never born than she wouldn't have had to suffer so much. Its no wonder she didn't believe in him... How could he ever ask her to...

Everyone was right how could a person who cause such misery and strife ever become a hero...

Izuku picked up the tablet on his bedside and scrolled through it until a notification came up on his screen. He pressed on the button and it was special on All Might during his younger years. On the other side of the screen, Izuku saw a man who was the complete opposite of him. He saw a man who was kind, brave, and powerful all at the same time risking to save others and fighting off villains while putting a smile onto his face. His mere presence reassured the hearts of the people and strike fear into villains.

All Might was everything Izuku wanted to be as a hero but was the furthest thing he was away from. Izuku starts remembering Nishikawa Sensei's words.

_"If everyone is telling you to give up, then why don't you give up? Everyone knows a quirkless person can't be a hero"_

Maybe he really should...

 _"remember let your wings fly freely regardless of what other people say for it is only you who can carve out your own path"_ The Shadow's words whispers into his ears

No, he can't give up... It was the only thing he had left. Remember what he told Kacchan and Nishikawa Sensei. He told them that he would never give up becoming a hero regardless of what people said to him.

While Izuku was stuck battling with himself in his thoughts, the music box suddenly opened and started playing on its own snapping him out. Why did the music box start playing? He didn't remember opening the box. Oh no, was is it broken? Izuku panicked as he slowly picked up the box bringing it up close to his face to inspect what was wrong with it. He sighed in relief as there seemed to be nothing wrong with the box. He must have accidentally bumped his tablet into the box when he picked it up which caused the cap to slightly loosen up a bit and eventually open it. 

Izuku closed the box and was about to put it back when the engravings written on the cover of the box jumped into his sight.

_To our one and only beloved son_

Whoever had this music box made clearly loved their son. The music box had an intricate design, it was probably custom made. Tears started dropping from Izuku's eyes onto the music box.

He opened the box and music started playing again. The music held a mysterious power over him. Whenever he was upset, angry, depressed all he had to do was listen to the music and it would instantly blow all of his worries away. It made it seem as though everything would be ok.

Izuku's eyes started drooping as he listened to the music box and he started falling into a deep slumber.

Izuku woke up when he noticed the music stopped playing. He looked around to realize he was in that strange dream again. It had been a while since he saw them. This time he was surrounded by tall fields of grass. He looked around but could not find the wolf he saw last time. Instead, the grass started parting away from one another creating a path for him. The path guided Izuku to a small house nearby the shores.

  
** The Small House (Replace the landscape with seashores) **

He stood in front of the door and stared at it wondering whether he should open it or not. Before he could do anything the door suddenly opened by itself. A gentle gust of wind blew against Izuku's back as if it was telling him to go inside the house.

He took a leap of faith and decided to enter the house. Just as he entered the door shut behind his back on its again. The room was fully furnished, he could see sets of tables and chairs and bookshelf, there was even a tv. He could also smell something delicious from the kitchen, someone must have cooked something but he could find no one inside the house

  
** House Interior **

Izuku decided to explore the house and searched around for clues to who the owner of the house could be. He found a stairway that seemed to lead to the upper floors of the house but no matter how much he walked up, he would always end up back to the first floor. It seemed that the house was only willing to allow him to look around the first floor.

Izuku sighed and gave up going to the second floor and went back to the living room. When he arrived he saw that the back door wide open. He went out the door and found himself in a garden full of herbs and flowers. Izuku recognized some of them, some of the herbs in the garden had properties that helped people with nausea or stomach aches.  
 **English Garden**

Izuku looked up to find a shadowy figure that looked like a person. Somehow Izuku felt that this shadow was different from the one he saw last time. Just when he was about to ask something to the shadow a strong gust of wind blasted into his face again.

"Wait! Who are you!?"

"..." the shadow remained silent

"Please tell me who you are!" Izuku desperately pleaded to the shadow but to no avail

But just as his vision was about to go black again, he could feel the shadow putting their hand over his head.

"Be yourself for no one can ever take that away from you no matter what. So, hold your head up high regardless of what may come in your way and be proud of the person you are" the shadow patted Izuku's head and proceeded to slide down towards the right side of his cheeks

"Wait!" Izuku tried to grab onto the hand as it let go

However, just as last time before Izuku could do anything else, his vision went completely black and he was back in his room again.

"hah, hah," Izuku panted as he was drenched in sweat

Izuku was shocked this was the first time the mysterious figure touched him. Izuku placed his hand on his head feeling the lingering effects of the dream. The hand was very big but gentle at the same time. The skin was rough though when he felt it slide down his cheeks but it wasn't the bad type. It was sort of like the hands of artisans and craftsmen that he saw in a book once. However, that wasn't what was important. Those hands felt warm and made him feel safe... He knew them from somewhere...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the grammar and spelling mistake I'll fix this later on when I start more getting used to writing. So far this is the longest chapter I ever wrote.
> 
> Izuku's struggle with himself was based on my own experience when I struggled with what people said about me. I actually relate a lot with Izuku's character in the canon version when he was still quirkless.


	9. New Resolve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku questions about his self worth as a person while Inko finally makes the decision that she should have made a long time ago

** Next-Day at School: Izuku's Pov. **

Things had become extremely awkward between Izuku and his mother due to yesterday's incident. His mother desperately apologized to him last night and tried to make all sorts of excuses but all of them fell to deaf ears. After all, now that he had learned the truth about his father not loving him what was there left to hear. It hurt him to see his mother apologizing like that. She was the one who had nothing to apologize for, it was him who needed to apologize. 

His mother offered to tell him the truth but Izuku refused it. Even though he knows that his father did not love him, he still had difficulties accepting it. He feared that he would not be able to stand it if he learned the full truth right now. He needed more time to do that. Things had become normal by the morning or at least his mother tried her best to act so. Not wanting to upset any more he did yesterday and the two of them avoided talking about that man.

Izuku decided to distract his mind by thinking about the dream yesterday. It was the first time the shadow touched him and not only that it felt so real. All the strange dreams he had felt real but nothing was compared to the one he had yesterday. Izuku could still remember the sensation the hand left him. 

There were so many questions and mysteries. Where were these places? What was that white wolf? What or who were those shadows? Most importantly why did he have these dreams and why did they all feel so real and familiar to him? After all, he had no recollection of ever being in those places or meeting a white wolf. 

"IZUKU!" Yamaguchi-Sensei called out to Izuku

"Huh?" Izuku turns around to find his teacher standing over him

"You've been mumbling the entire time since we started art class" Yamaguchi-Sensei tapped his foot

"Sorry I was completely lost in my thoughts" Izuku bowed and apologized to the teacher for disturbing his class

Some of the students started snickering when they saw the entire ordeal especially Katsuki.

"Geez what the hell am I going to do with you" Yamaguchi-Sensei sighs carrying his head

"On top of that when I asked you to draw your father I expected you to draw his face, not his freaking hand! Look I get that you may not remember much about your father since he works overseas a lot but did you have to draw his freaking hands?!" His teacher picked up the drawing from Izuku's desk and shoved it into his face

Izuku's eyes widened in horror when he saw what he had drawn. He must have subconsciously drawn the hand when he was thinking about the dream he had. Oh, why did he have to do this in Yamaguchi-Sensei's class of all the time? He was going to get punished for sure this time.

"Are you listening to you goddamn useless brat!" Yamaguchi-Sensei grabs Izuku's hand up in the air causing Izuku to be suspended in the air 

"That's enough, Yamaguchi-Sensei" Nishikawa-Sensei grabs Yamaguchi-Sensei's shoulder from behind

"Nishikawa-Sensei" Yamaguchi -Sensei turns his head around to his colleague

"Izuku did nothing wrong. He drew his father just as you asked him just not in the conventional way" Nishikawa-Sensei glares at the other teacher

"But!" Yamaguchi-Sensei tries to retaliate

"Plus, look around you. If by any chance the parents catch wind of this they might pull their children out of school or ask you to be removed from your job in fear of what would happen to their children if they happened to have weak quirks or quirkless and at worst ask for the school to be shut down" Nishikawa-Sensei whispers into Yamaguchi-Sensei's ears

"Tch, Izuku go stand out in the halls and as punishment, you have to clean up for everyone after we are done with class got it!?" Yamaguchi Sensei lets Izuku down and lets go of his hands

"Yes Sir!" Izuku salutes

"On second thought can I have him?" Nishikawa Sensei cuts in

"What the?!" Yamaguchi-Sensei was about to blow a fuse but shuddered when he saw Nishikawa's smiling face. 

"I want him to help me with printing and handing out fliers as well as preparation work for the open school day we are going to have next week. I have a lot of things on my plate and its really a pain in the ass to hand out these fliers to every one of the students" Nishikawa Sensei explains

"Oh that's why you wanted him. Why didn't you just say so in the first place?" Yamaguchi Sensei calms down and snubs a look at Izuku

"Well, I expected you to know that I only act and propose things if it makes it more efficient so I don't have to deal with anything bothersome" Nishikawa Sensei crosses his arms

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Ahahaha, sorry..." Yamaguchi Sensei awkwardly laughs not wanting to piss off the other teacher any further

"Now follow me Izuku" Nishikawa Sensei gestures to Izuku

"Yes, Nishikawa Sensei" Izuku ran up to the teacher and followed him out the door to the halls

Izuku looked up to Nishikawa Sensei's face as he walked through the halls. 

"Thank you, Nishikawa Sensei" Izuku stopped for a moment and bowed to his teacher

"Don't misunderstand kid, I only did it because I really hated dealing with those fliers" Nishikawa Sensei replied

Izuku chuckled hearing the teacher's reply. Nishikawa-Sensei was one of the few teachers Izuku felt like he could trust. He doesn't pity him and is actually honest about his feelings. Just as his words implied he hated anything bothersome but that didn't mean he was heartless. In fact, it was the exact opposite, it was because he wasn't heartless he never bothered sugarcoating his words or formed false relationships with others. He hated lying to himself and others more than anything. That was a virtue that Izuku admired about the teacher.

"What are you giggling about?" Nishikawa Sensei asks

"Nothing" Izuku replies with a grin on his face

When Izuku looked up again, Nishikawa-Sensei's hand caught his eyes

"Nishikawa Sensei can I ask you for a favor?" Izuku asks

"Make sure to make it something easy, simple and fast" Nishikawa Sensei stops for a moment and taps his fingers on his crossed arms

"Can you pat me in the head?" Izuku blurts out

"What?" Nishikawa Sensei looks dumbfounded at Izuku's request just now

"I know its weird but please" Izuku pleaded to the teacher

"Hah, fine" Nishikawa Sensei sighed as he resigned to Izuku's pleas

Nishikawa Sensei proceeded to pat on Izuku's head. This was the first time other than the dream that Izuku ever had his head patted by someone so he was extremely nervous. Nishikawa Sensei's hands were soft and smooth. It was very gentle as expected of a preschool teacher.

"Are you satisfied?" Nishikawa Sensei pulled his hand away from Izuku

"Sort of" 

Izuku was happy that he received a pat from the head but something was different. It wasn't as if the teacher did anything wrong in fact the way he patted him was pretty similar to last night's dream. But something was different... Was it because Nishikawa Sensei's hands weren't rough as he expected?

"What kind of answer is that? Now we better get going those fliers aren't gonna print themselves you know" Nishikawa started walking again

"Yes sir" Izuku ran to catch up to Nishikawa Sensei

\------------------------------------------------------------- 

** After Izuku left the classroom: Katsuki's Pov. **

Everyone in the room laughed at Izuku and talked about what kind of extra chores he was going to have to do. All except for Katsuki who was dumbfounded by the situation just now. What just happened right now? Why did Nishikawa Sensei who's famous for hating anything that was a pain in the ass, of all people just defend that worthless shitty nerd just now?

There was absolutely no reason for the teacher to intervene just now. In fact he had all reasons to avoid that nerd. There was nothing more pain in the ass than watching over a quirkless nobody. That man was not the kind to take pity on others... He should know, he once saw him turn away a student who was being bullied just like the shitty bastard because it wasn't worth his effort or time. 

Now that he thinks about it, Nishikawa Sensei had been more lenient on Deku in comparison to the other teachers. He never punished Deku without reason and even when he did they were all pretty light like just now. But Katsuki thought it was because he thought the teacher didn't want to waste his energy on a quirkless bastard but that scene just now proved his initial thoughts wrong.

First that old geezer, next to that freaking teacher. What was wrong with these people? Couldn't they see how useless that shitty nerd is? Why were they being nice to him? He's quirkless goddamnit! 

"Katsuki that was hilarious right?" One of his lackeys turned his around to face him

"Fuck off, you extra I'm not in the mood right now!" Katsuki snarled at the extra

"Katsuki are you done with your drawing?" Yamaguchi Sensei asks while approaching Katsuki's desk

"Here" Katsuki hands the paper to the teacher

"This is amazing as expected as someone with a promising future and amazing quirk unlike a certain someone" Yamaguchi Sensei smiled as he inspected the drawing

"Don't compare me with that extra" Katsuki snarls

"I apologize. Of course, you are on a completely different level than Izuku it was wrong of me to compare the both of you" Yamaguchi Sensei apologized to Katsuki

"As long as you get it" Katsuki scoffs

"Now I want you all to learn from Katsuki, students. He is a prime example of what a hero should be!" Yamaguchi Sensei proudly claps his hands together and looks at the rest of the students

Now, this is how it was supposed to be. Everyone giving him praise while criticizing the nerd. The nerd doesn't deserve any kind of praise. Those goddamn adults will realize that eventually and abandon him. After all his own father already abandoned him the moment he was born. The only reason Aunty Inko didn't abandon the shitty nerd was sole because of her kindness. 

He truly felt bad for Aunty Inko. She was such a kind and sweet lady, unlike his brash and violent mom. He sometimes dreamed of being her son. It was unfair that she was being attacked and harassed by everyone in the neighborhood. Yes, just like Izuku, Katsuki also heard what the neighbor said about her behind her back. Those goddamn cowards, why couldn't they see that it was that shitty nerd's fault, not hers. They should be hating him not her. 

Katsuki overheard a telephone conversation once between his mom and Aunty Inko. It had been a few months since the shitty nerd was diagnosed as quirkless. He couldn't exactly catch the entire detail of the conversations but knew that it probably had to do with her shitty excuse of a husband and goddamn nerd. But he could clearly hear one part.

_"I don't know if I can take this any more of this... Izuku is becoming more and more distant from me, I don't know what I should do... Please help me"_

Katsuki was furious when he heard Aunty Inko sobbing. Deku was making Aunty Inko miserable. Every time he saw her she had become less and less energetic than she used to be. If only that shitty nerd hadn't existed then she would be so much happier. He only brought misery to those around him including Katsuki. He still remembers how humiliated he felt after that incident at the forest.

** _Flashback_ **

_It was a few days after Izuku was diagnosed as quirkless. Initially, Katsuki had no plans of bullying the nerd and still remained on good terms with him for the time being._

_That day Katsuki and his bakusquad as they called themselves headed into the forest to play heroes and villains as they always did. Deku was going to be the innocent bystander who needed help since he had no quirk. While they were playing Katsuki noticed something. A tree log that probably fell down the day before from the storm had formed a bridge to the other side of the cliff._

_Katsuki was always curious as to what the other end of the forest was like but could never go there because of the cliff. He called all the bakusquad together and decided to cross the makeshift bridge. The rain had made the tree log extremely slippery and while crossing it Katsuki accidentally slipped off and fell into the river. Luckily the water cushioned his falling and he didn't suffer any grave injuries._

_"Katsuki are you ok?!" One of Katsuki's lackey calls out in concern from above_

_"I'm ok!" Katsuki shouts_

_Both of his lackeys sigh in relief when they see that their boss was ok. But where was the nerd?_

_"Kacchan! Are you alright!?" Deku ran towards him_

_Katsuki was surprised, to say the least. Why was the nerd in front of him? How the hell did he get down that cliff?_

_"Kacchan, do you feel dizzy or nauseous? Can you count how many fingers I'm holding right now?" Izuku held out his fingers_

_"No, and 3" Katsuki dumbfoundedly replies._

_"Thank god! But we should go to the hospital and your arm is a little scratched up so you might have gotten a bacterial infection from the river just now. There was a storm last night and I saw some debris when I came down here so there's a possibility that the river isn't clean as it usually is " Deku just kept continuing on_

_What the hell was this shitty nerd saying?_

_"Kacchan here grab on my hand" Deku offered his hand out to him when he stopped talking_

_Katsuki's eyes met Deku's for a moment. He saw something he shouldn't have seen and panicked._

_"I don't need your help, shitty Deku!" Katsuki snarls and slaps away Deku's hand_

_** Flashback End ** _

Ever since then every time he saw that shitty nerd's face... Only he knew who and what that useless bastard truly is and he will prove it one day!

\-------------------------------------------------------------------

** Design Company: Mitsuki Pov. **

"Inko what's wrong? Did something happen? Do you need me to kick someone's ass?" Mitsuki called out to her friend as she was trying to leave the office

Inko had been distracted and unfocused during the entire day at work and she had been extremely worried about her.

"Oh its nothing Mitsuki" Inko replies

"Inko you haven't been smiling all day today" Mistuki looks at Inko with her eyes full of concern

Inko remained silent

Mitsuki grabs her friend's hand and leads her to her office where they could talk more privately.

"So tell me what happened?" Mitsuki shuts the door and pressures her friend 

"Oh Mitsuki what should I do? Izuku heard the voice message Hisashi sent yesterday..." Inko finally breaks down 

"WHAT?!"

Inko then proceeds to tell her everything that had happened last night. The voice message, her husband and Izuku

"I usually delete the message before he hears it but he came back home earlier than I expected and he heard the entire thing..." Inko sobs

"Well, maybe he didn't understand" Mitsuki grabs a tissue from her desk and hands it to Inko

"No, Mitsuki he understood. He locked himself in his room the moment he heard. Now he knows. What should I do?" Inko accepts the act of kindness and blows on the tissue paper

"That bastard!" Mitsuki clutches her fist

"What are you doing Mitsuki?" Inko looks at her friend with concern when she sees her friend picking up her phone

"What else, getting tickets. I'm going to fly all the way over to America and beat that bastard up until he wakes up his senses!" Mitsuki angrily dials on the phone ready to call the travel company

"Don't!" Inko grabs onto Mitsuki

"Well, what else do you want me to do?!" Mitsuki yells at Inko

"Look, Inko he's been unfair to you all these years and I still don't understand why you keep defending him!" Mitsuki continues on shouting

Mitsuki knew that bastard was trouble the moment she met him. She warned her multiple times not to trust the guy. But she never listened and refused to believe her, telling her that she was perfectly fine. Where did the Inko who was normally calm collected go and what the hell did that man do to make her go so blind? Sure Inko was naive and susceptible but not an idiot. In fact, she was always the rationale of the two and always stopped Mitsuki from getting into more trouble. Yet she was completely blind to this man. 

Mitsuki was extremely worried when Inko moved out of the city to live with the crazy son of a bitch. Nobody would be able to stop him or help her if she ever got into trouble. That bastard must have planned it from the start. After Inko moved out all contact from her stopped. Mitsuki tried reaching out to her on multiple occasions but failed every time. When she finally decided to confront the man they had already moved to another city. From then on she lost all track of Inko until she moved back here to Mustafu a year ago.

She was relieved when she saw her friend again. But was surprised to see she had a child. Mitsuki quickly realized that this child was the one who finally opened her eyes. After meeting the child she couldn't believe how sweet he was it was no wonder Inko changed her mind for him. She honestly couldn't believe he was related to that asshole. Luckily Inko had the stronger genes. She hates that bastard's gut and wants him to stay away far from Inko but is grateful to Izuku for bringing her friend back. Honestly, the only justice that bastard ever did. 

"No, its all my fault I should have left him sooner just like you and mom said but I kept being stubborn about it because I was so blind" Inko lets go of Mitsuki and cries

"Fine, but what are you going to do now?" Mitsuki sighs when she looks at her friend's upset face

Inko remained silent for a while and looked down on the floor. Mitsuki knows that look, Inko always made that face whenever she entered into deep thought. It had been a while since she had seen it. If things go the way it did in the past than that could only mean one thing.

"Mitsuki is it ok if I ask for a favor?" Inko looks up and holds both of Mitsuki's hands 

"Anything for my best friend" Mitsuki replies 

"Can you introduce me to a divorce lawyer?" Inko asks

"Finally! Yes of course! I'll introduce you to the best divorce lawyer in the city!" Mitsuki jumps in excitement and hugs Inko

Yes! Now there was the Inko she knew and loved. 

"Thank you so much Mitsuki" Inko cries into Mitsuki's arms 

"Welcome back Inko" Mitsuki silently whispers to herself as she embraces her friend

\------------------------------------------------------------------

** On the way home from the dojo: Izuku Pov. **

After the class was over Izuku asked some of the male teachers who weren't hostile towards him to pat his head. Just like Nishikawa-Sensei most of them were shocked by the request and some refused but there were some who complied. Their hands were also very gentle but something was missing. He even asked his Master to do the same thing but even then it felt like something was different. Why though?

He liked the way they patted his head although Master's was a bit rough. He trusted these people and he even considered Master close to a father figure but none of them felt quite right. However, there was one thing for sure it definitely wasn't his father. A man who could barely remember their child's birthday couldn't have that much warmth in his hand even with a fire breathing quirk. No that warmth comes from something deep within the heart.

There were so many questions that were unanswered. All he could tell from how the town and buildings looked was that it was probably very old and somewhere outside of Japan. Maybe he could borrow a book on geography and get an idea of where these places might be.

_"Be yourself for no one can ever take that away from you no matter what. So, hold your head up high regardless of what may come in your way and be proud of the person you are"_

The shadow's words ring in Izuku's head. Was it alright for him to be who he is? He who has nothing and only cause misery upon others?

_"Be proud of the person you are"_

"Be proud of the person I am?" Izuku repeated to himself

_"For it is only you who can carve out your own path"_

"Only I can carve out my path?"

The faces of people he had met flashes by. 

"Izuku" Officer Takahashi and Officer Ono. They always helped him whenever he was in trouble and always played with him when he was alone. Oh yeah, Officer Ono still wanted a rematch for that chess match.

"Kid" Nishikawa-Sensei. He helped him fend off against Yamaguchi Sensei despite the troubles it could have brought him. He never gave out unreasonable punishments and was lenient toward him as well as talk with him when nobody else would

"Izuku" Master. Master saw potential in him and offered to train him. Whenever he made some sort of progress, he would always praise him. He promised him that he was going to show him a new technique tomorrow

"young boy" Nurse Hamada. The nurse gave Izuku his contact number in case if he ever needed help. He would patch up Izuku and was the one who taught him the basics of first aid after he started getting bullied. He would sometimes lend him some medical textbooks Izuku asks for. 

"Izuku" Inko. His mother may have not supported or trust him the way he wanted. But she always made sure he was taken care of. She tried her very best to protect him the best way she could even though he caused her so much misery.

"Deku!" Kacchan. Their relationship has changed so much but his admiration for his friend had not changed. Since the moment he met him Kacchan mesmerized him. He was strong, tough, determined, and always knew where he was headed. 

In one way or another, these people at one point genuinely cared and helped him become who he is right now. If he were to deny his very existence right now than that would mean he would be denying everything they did for him. Right now it was up to him whether he carved out his own path with the tools they gave him. Would he waste them or make use of them?

Izuku thought about the mean words, laughter, criticisms, bullying and so on people said or did to him as well as every time they tried putting him down for what he could not control

_"Give up, you will never be a hero you shitty nerd no matter how hard you try because you are and always will be a useless quirkless Deku"_

_"Are you listening to you goddamn useless brat!"  
_

_"If everyone is telling you to give up, then why don't you give up? Everyone knows a quirkless person can't be a hero"_

_"I know right I mean he's quirkless"_

_"I bet the reason he doesn't show his face around anymore is that your a useless quirkless bastard! "_

Izuku then thought about the shadow's words. Although they said something different there was one part that was the same

_"Hold your head up high regardless of what may come in your way"_

_remember let your wings fly freely regardless of what other people say_ _  
_

They kept telling him to move forward no matter what.

"Yoshi, I'm going to try even harder now!" Izuku stretched his arms into the air smiling towards the skies

\--------------------------------------------------------------------

** Midoriya Household: Inko's Pov. **

Inko nervously paced around the room while chewing on her nail. Mitsuki had convinced her to tell Izuku about the truth and divorce. 

_"Izuku is already hurt and if he finds out about this from others than he will be even more hurt. If Izuku is as clever as you say then he'll figure it out sooner or later. So you have to talk to him now" Mitsuki grabbed on her shoulders_

What the hell was she doing when she agreed to this? But Mitsuki is right Izuku will be hurt regardless if she told him now or later. Maybe the sooner might be better. She then hears the doorknobs turning.

"Well I guess it's now or never" Inko slaps herself in the face and heads to the entrance hall

"Tadaima, Okaasan" Izuku greeted Inko

"Okaeri, Izuku" Inko gently smiles to her son

"Izuku can you come into the living room right now? You can put away your things later" Inko asks

"Ok, Okaasan" Izuku follows his mother to the living room

Inko gestures her son to sit down on the opposite side of the table. Inko took a deep breath and started talking.

"It's about your father. There is something I should have told you a long time ago Izuku"

Inko then explains to Izuku how she had met Hisashi when she was young and where their relationship led to. She was young, foolish, and naive, everyone had warned her but she ignored them thinking she knew better. However, things had started to change when they had gotten married.

At first, the changes were very small and she hadn't given it much thought. But over time he had become more demanding and forced her to quit her job as well as cut off all contacts with her family and friends to make more time for him. They even went as far as to move to another city. She thought it was because he loved her and ignored those signs. 

Things took a turn for the worse when she became pregnant with their child. He ignored her and started becoming more distant. When he received a job offer overseas he instantly jumped on it and left as soon as he could. Inko had called him numerous times asking him when he would come back but he would only give her vague answers. He didn't even bother calling when their child was born until she reported it to him. But even then she still believed that he loved her. 

The final straw was when an incident took place and she had begged him to come back only to be told he was too busy. That was when she opened her eyes. The only reason she was still married to him now was because of the financial support he provided them. When she is done explaining, she looks towards Izuku's eyes.

"So, Izuku it isn't your fault that things became this way. It was mine if I had been smarter than things would have been so much different" Inko places her hand over Izuku's 

"It isn't your fault Okaasan, it's mine and dads. In fact, I should be the one apologizing. I was the one who caused you to suffer so much. You stayed with dad even though you didn't love him anymore because of me. People talk behind your back because I am quirkless. I'm sorry that I couldn't do anything to help you and only cause you misery" Izuku tries to reassure Inko

Inko started crying. Inko never imagined that this was what her son thought of her until now. What kind of parent was she for causing her son to worry about her so much and say those words? Why was this child so sweet? Why was he willing to forgive her after everything she had done? 

"Izuku I'm so sorry" Inko kept on sobbing

Although she had already made her decision yesterday now she was determined to make the divorce happen but first, she had to tell him.

"Izuku, I know this is sudden but I plan on getting a divorce from your father" Inko wipes her tears away

"Ok, Okaasan" Izuku nonchalantly responded

"Wait you aren't mad or upset?" Inko asks a bit taken aback by her son's response

"Well, truth to be told I am still upset about what Otosan said but if it makes you happy then I won't mind. After all, it's your decision whether or not to leave him not mine. Plus I don't remember much about Otosan anyway. He's never home so it doesn't make much difference if you get a divorce from."

"Izuku" Inko whimpers

Izuku leaves his chair and walks up to his mother and hugs her the best he could

"Okaasan, thank you for always taking care of me even though I'm always a burden to you" Izuku looks up to Inko's face and smiles

"Oh Izuku" Inko stands up from her chair and kneels down to her son to hug him

After hugging for awhile both of their stomachs start growling.

"Ahahah, I will get Dinner ready so clean up" Inko laughs as she wipes her tears away

"Ok" Izuku smiles back to her

Inko looks on as Izuku proceeds to leave the living room and head to his room until he suddenly turns around his towards her

"Okaasan it's alright to be proud of the person you are because no one can take that away from you. If you weren't there than I never would have been here so hold your head up high" Izuku smiled brightly as he tilted his head

Izuku ran back to his room leaving Inko completely dumbfounded... 

Inko couldn't believe this was the same boy who was upset yesterday. Yeah, she was glad that Izuku had taken it better than she had initially imagined. But how did he change in such a short amount of time? Did something good happen? Did someone talk to him at school? Was it one of his teachers or Senior Takahashi? 

No, that wasn't it...

Sometimes when Inko looked at Izuku she could sense a hidden strength of some coming from his eyes. She was surprised when she first discovered it. But quickly grew used to it over time. However, this was the first he ever displayed it to her. A memory suddenly flashes in Inko's mind. 

"Maybe..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for rushing this chapter a bit but I really wanted to go to the time skip arc as soon as I can.
> 
> I know that normally it takes weeks even months for things to normally get this far but I just couldn't wait. I'm so sorry.


	10. New Riddle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ray has finally managed to decode the device. However, found something unexpected that even he could not crack.

** 2041 The Research Facility **

"I finally managed to crack the code!" Ray smiles as he shouted to his friends with his computer in his hand

"I knew you could do it!" Ryo exclaimed and hugged his friend 

"I'm so happy! But Ray are you ok? You haven't slept for almost a week" Mahiro looks at Ray's disheveled appearance with concern

It took 7 days and 6 all-nighters for Ray to finally decode the goddamn thing. He had dark circles under his eyes and his eyes were bloodshot from not sleeping. His facial hair was also starting to grow out. On top of it, his normally smooth and silky hair was disheveled and greasy from not showering the past week.

"It's alright Mahiro. After all, a week of no sleep is normal for us in the science department. But I'll probably pass out for a while after this" Ray smiles

"Ok, but do it after you get a shower" Ryo sheepishly remarks

"Fine" Ray rolls his eyes

"Anyway, what did you find?" Mahiro asks curiously

"Not what, but where" Ray replies 

"Where?" Ryo and Mahiro look at Ray confused

"After decoding one of the codes I discovered it contained coordinates to locations all over the world. I marked them on the map in the computer." Ray shows both of them the map on his computer

"Ok but the question is what does it lead to?" Mahiro asks

"Unfortunately I couldn't find anything more other than another encrypted note" Ray sighs

"Encrypted note?" Ryo looks at Ray curiously

"Yes, it is more of a riddle or a puzzle, to be honest" Ray starts opening the note in his laptop and shows it to both of them

"Hmmm... I think your right except I'm not really good with these kinds of riddles" Ryo sighs in defeat

"Me neither" Mahiro nods in agreement

"Anway we might as well start with the coordinates so where is the closest place to here?" Ryo looks at his friend

"Nabu Island" 

"What?! But there is nothing on that Island" Mahiro stands up

"How do you know?" Ray looks at Mahiro curiously

"We've tried searching around that area as well when we were looking for artifacts since there were rumors of there being an old civilization there but came up with nothing" Ryo explains

"Well you didn't have me back then" Ray huffs

"That's true." Ryo chuckles

"Plus I called my friends in the science department as well as Zeref and Anna from the European faction of the society of the mages and Mei Chan and Alphonse from the Asian faction of the Eastern Alkemy society if they knew anyone who could help us" 

"As always your connection with these secret societies amaze me" Mahiro starts feeling a little light-headed with all of the information

"Well, there aren't that many of us, to begin with, so its a pretty small world. I mean there's only like 200 of us alchemists in the entire world and I think it was pretty much the same with the mages" Ray grabs his chin pondering 

"Please stop. No offense to you but I still have a hard time with accepting these secret societies especially the mages ones" Mahiro put his hand up to stop Ray

"Dude, we literally saw Sherry doing wind magic in college no matter how hard you deny magic exists" Ryo teases Mahiro

"It was Wind Godslayer's magic, not wind magic you dolt. Anway as a man of science I refuse to believe it until I find a viable logical answer that can explain it." Mahiro scoffs

"Says the man who remembers the exact name of Sherry's magic" Ryo whispers

"What?!" Mahiro glares at Ryo

"Nothing!" Ryo quickly shuts up from fear of Mahiro's wrath

"Anyway I'm going to get a shower and sleep for the next 2 days so bye" Ray quickly runs out of the room not wanting to get caught up in Mahiro's wrath

\-----------------------------------------------------------

** 2 Days Later at the Hotel **

Ray wakes up from his bed and checks the time. He decides to take a shower while ordering room service to take his breakfast in his room. After he takes a shower he went into the hot tub to relax. Ray loves Japanese baths their so comfortable, unlike the American ones. He doesn't have to worry about the bathwater gets cold and if it does all it takes is a touch of a button. He instantly fell in love with the Japanese bath and hot springs the moment he came to Japan when he went to see Ryo and Mahiro. He remembers dragging them around the famous Beppu Onsen. 

After Ray finished his bath and put on his bathrobes, he went back to the room to get some clothes from his traveling case when his phone starts ringing. Ray picks up his phone to see that it was from an unknown number. 

"Hello?" Ray decides to pick it up and see who the caller could be

"Hey Ray it's me Edward, Alphonse's brother"

"Hello, Edward long time no see. How is London treating you?" Ryo smiles hearing a familiar voice he hadn't heard for a long time

Alphonse and Edward Elric were famous in the Alchemist Society as the Fullmetal Alchemist brothers. They are the sons of Van Hohenheim one of the members of the Alchemist council. However, their relationship strained after he abandoned them for his position and their mother when they were very young as a result leading to their mother's early death. They later found out that their father left them in order to keep them safe. After becoming a candidate for a councilman he gained many enemies and they threatened to hurt his family even nearly succeeding once so he had no choice but to leave them. Apparently their mother knew of this but did not tell her sons in fear of their safety. Now they have a better relationship with their father although Edward still punches him whenever he sees him. 

He figured Alphonse could use his connection from traveling around the world and his brother who also travels around the world to find someone who could help them 

"Fine, anyway I heard from my brother and Mei that you were looking for someone to help you with your research on the ancient ruins" 

"Yes! Did you find anyone?" Ray asks excitingly 

"Unfortunately I couldn't find anyone in the societies who could help but I did find someone in London who could help" Edward replies

"Who!?" Ray asks

"She is an archeologist named Layla Triton. She has a knack for solving puzzles, riddles, mysteries you name it. She helped me solve a code that even I had trouble solving" Edward explains

"Wait she solved a code before you did of all people?! I've got to meet her now if she can beat the Alchemy genius of the century who knows what else she can do!" Ray jumps in excitement

"Ummm you're exaggerating too much. Plus Ray you do know that people also consider you the Alkahestry genius of the century right?" Edward deadpans

"Anyway I'll send you her contact number"

"Thanks, Edward and say hi to Winry for me or should I say Mrs. Elric" Ray chuckles

"Wait!? How did you know about that!" Edward shouts

Ray cuts the phone call before Edward could interrogate him any further. Edward was so easy to tease. He has a really short temper which makes it even more fun.

He looks at the contact number that Edward sent him and grins.

"I can't wait to meet you, Miss Triton" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another Disclaimer: I do not in any way, shape or form own Professor Layton
> 
> This new character is based on Professor Layton's apprentice Luke Triton. In this story, Layla will be Luke's daughter. Just like her father she has the ability to talk with animals as well.


	11. Secret Hiding Place

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku stumbles upon on a hidden shrine while Katsuki contemplates about his current relationship with the nerd. At the same time, a mysterious person appears to be running away from something.

**2337 On the way to the dojo: Izuku Pov. **

Izuku was prancing on his way to the dojo from school. Things have been going really smoothly since the incident with his dad.

It had been a few weeks since the incident. Luckily the divorce procedures went more smoothly than anyone had expected. As soon as his mother asked his father for the divorce. The man quickly signed the documents Inko had sent him without any kind of retaliation as well as relinquishing all parental rights. Apparently the man had made a lover overseas and that was why he started sending less money. Although things had become tougher when news of his parent's divorce reached his school and the bullying intensified, Izuku's relationship with his mother in return had become less strained. She no longer looked at him with guilt in her eyes and started to smile a lot more since the divorce. She also started being more honest with Izuku instead of bottling her feelings up.

With that in mind, Izuku was finally able to focus again and return to his training with Master. He's been making even more progress than before thanks to his clear mind. Master had told him that he might even be ready to learn the advanced techniques considering the progress he's been making.

In addition to that, last week, Officer Takahashi finally found the owner of that towel. The owner was an old woman who was around in her 80s and just as Izuku suspected, that day the wind was strong and blew the towel away to the park when the owner was doing laundry. Izuku was able to meet the owner and apologize to her for using her towel without permission. Luckily, the owner was a very kind lady and didn't seem to mind that he used her towel instead she seemed genuinely glad that it could be of use to the young boy. She thanked Izuku for returning her towel and for his honesty.

"Hey Deku!" Izuku stopped and turned around to look at who was calling him it was Kacchan's lackeys

Izuku immediately ran when he saw them. 

"What the!?" One of the lackeys shouts as he saw Izuku ran away from them. Both of the lackeys snap out and chase Izuku. 

Izuku wasn't afraid of Kacchan's lackeys but they were still a pain to deal with. He couldn't exactly fight back since he would get in trouble with the school for it and everyone would find out about his secret training.

Plus he was fairly confident that he could easily outrun them even with Tsubasa's demon wings quirk. In the past when they still got along he has always outrun them in a game of tag. Tsubasa was fast but he had several weaknesses. First, he lacked flexibility and agility to maneuver his wings properly to dodge things in the air. Two, with his wings out in the open, he couldn't fly in enclosed areas or tight spaces. Three, he wasn't physically fit and gets tired easily. Yubinaga's quirk was useful in close range combat it wasn't exactly ideal for long-range ones. All he needed to do was para cool through the tight spaces and he could easily lose them. 

Izuku jumped onto one of the stone fences and ran on top of them as quickly as he could and slipped into one of the tight spaces. The residential street was a complete maze for someone who wasn't well-versed with the street layout making it easy for Izuku to lose his pursuers. Izuku hopped onto the next fence and then slips through another tight space and jumps off on the street when he sees the park in front of him. Once he makes his landing he looks around to see if either of the lackeys were there. He couldn't see them anywhere as expected they couldn't keep up with him.

Izuku looks up to see that there was a wooden plank in front of him. That's strange he's been here numerous times before but never had seen anything like this here before. He approaches the plank and notices that there was something written there. He couldn't make out the first few words since they were very worn out but it said ... sh..ine. He looked down near the sign to see that there was something in between the grass and fallen leaves. Izuku went in for a closer look to realize it was a pathway made of stone.

Izuku contemplated whether he should follow the path or not but curiosity got the better of him and he decided to see where it would lead to. If it seemed dangerous halfway through then he could just leave, right? As Izuku went deeper into the area he notices that there were a lot of trees. The tree branches bent over the path as if it were forming an arch. He looked in awe at the scenery while he was walking. Why didn't anyone tell him that there was a place like this? If he had known about it sooner than he definitely would have come here to play.

He knew Kacchan would love this place too. Maybe he could bring him here next time...

"Oh yeah I forgot" Izuku becomes a little bit depressed remembering how his former best friend didn't want to have anything to do with him anymore

Izuku looks up to see a Tori (Japanese Shrine Gate). 

"This must be the entrance to whatever is over there" Izuku excitingly thought to himself

Izuku excitedly ran through the gates wondering what could be beyond there. Just as he entered, a gust of wind blew against Izuku's face and he quickly shuts his eye to shield it from it. When the wind calms down and Izuku opens his eyes he sees that a very old traditional Japanese house. The building was in half ruins and covered with wilted vines and fallen leaves. It seems that nobody had been here for years by the looks of it. 

Izuku sees that one of the sliding doors is open. He doesn't know why but suddenly he is filled with the urge to go inside and explore the place. It wouldn't be trespassing since nobody lived here and the building was abandoned, right? 

Before entering the shrine Izuku removed his shoes and laid it neatly in front of doors. After all, it is rude to enter a building with shoes on regardless if someone is there or not and it is very disrespectful to the shrine. Once inside he sees that inside is relatively clean compared to the outside. He could feel the tatami floors beneath his feet. The floor was soft and hard at the same time. It also smelled very nice and fresh like herbs. There were tatami mats in the dojo too but they weren't this nice. He could roll in this place all day long.

There was some furniture here too but they were all covered in white sheets to protect them from the dust no doubt. Izuku touched the wooden pillars and thought it was a shame. This building was in good condition all it needed was a little bit of cleaning and fixing. He then notices a scroll hanging on the wall. There was something written on it.

_To those who come with goodwill or seek refuge, the shrine will welcome you with open arms. However, those with evil intentions be warned for the shrine will not welcome you._

Izuku ponders a moment with the words written on the scroll. Izuku then looks around the room and opens some of the cabinets and closet doors in the room. He finds all sorts of things such as futons, clothes, dishes, bandages, etc.

"This place must have been some sort of sanctuary to those who needed help in the past." Izuku thinks to himself

Izuku goes outside again and looks around the building. If this place was a shrine than there had to be something that depicted the deity or a guardian watching over the shrine. Izuku sees a statue enshrined in the side of the building. Unfortunately, the top of the statue had already crumbled away with time and all that was left was the lower part. The lower part had four legs and a part of a tail that was broken off as well. Izuku wondered what it could be as he observed the remains of the statue. It could be a dog, fox, raccoon, or a mythical creature. 

An idea pops into Izuku's head. Hey, if there wasn't anyone willing to take care of this place then maybe he could do it himself. He had a lot of experience cleaning thanks to the dojo. All he needed were some tools and that was it. Maybe he could ask his mom or Master if he could borrow some cleaning gear. 

Wait! Another idea forms in Izuku's mind. He could turn this place into his own secret hideout. No one probably knew about this place other than himself. If he was going to take care of this place he might as well do it. Izuku always admired Kacchan's secret hideout in the forest. They used to hang out there a lot and Izuku missed it a lot. But this time he had a chance to own his very own secret hideout. 

Izuku started giggling at the idea of his own hideout. Once things calmed down maybe he could invite people over from time to time. After Izuku was satisfied he decides to go back down the path. He glances behind him one last time to look at the shrine before leaving.

"Bye Shrine-san, I will come back later with some cleaning tools to help fix you" Izuku waved back to the shrine

As if though the shrine understood his words a gentle breeze of wind blows around Izuku carrying the fallen leaves with it. Izuku smiles and runs back down. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------

**On the way home: Katsuki Pov.**

That shitty Deku. He's been in a good mood since Aunty Inko got divorced from her shitty husband. It didn't matter how much people threw insults and harassed him it never worked. He would always be smiling at the end of the day. For example, one of his classmates drenched Deku's houseshoes with mud water and walked all over the place causing him to get in trouble with the teacher. He couldn't care less about what those extras were doing, their pranks were pathetic, to say the least, and most of them never really worked. Anyway usually, he would be upset whenever Yamaguchi Sensei scolded him and gave him unreasonable punishments but he didn't seem to mind it all today. In fact, he was even smiling which made it even creepier. 

"Kacchan!" One of the extras comes running toward him

"Have you seen Deku?" Extra number 2 asks

"No" Katsuki replies

"Darn it, we lost him again" Extra number 1 snaps his fingers

"What do you mean you lost him?" Katsuki growls

"We didn't mean to take your pray or anything Kacchan we swear!" Yubinaga panics when he sees his boss growling 

"It's just that he's been getting carried away lately and we just wanted to teach him a lesson mmm..." Yubinaga quickly grabs onto Tsubasa's mouth shushing him to be quiet and looked up to his bosses face

"Listen, I couldn't care less what you goddamn extras do to Deku but what do you mean he got away again!?" Katsuki snaps

Deku was always good at Hide and Seek as well as Tag but that was back when they still hadn't manifested their quirks yet. Katsuki couldn't believe that quirkless nobody could outrun these idiots even if they had a weaker quirk in comparison to his. Extra number 1 even had wings for crying out loud. 

"Deku's always been fast but apparently he's been learning some new tricks" 

"Yeah, he jumps on the fences and slips through tight spaces in the residential area to escape" Yubinaga finishes Tsubasa's explanation

Of course, it was like the nerd to use these idiot's weaknesses to his advantage. He knew that they wouldn't be able to chase him through the tight spaces and these extras wouldn't have enough brains to know how the residential area's maze worked. 

"Where did he last disappear to?" Katsuki glares at his lackeys

Both of his lackeys squeal and hug onto one another bracing themselves for Katsuki's wrath

"He dis..appeared arou..nd Old M..an Shiro's house" Tsubasa shudders in fear

"Old Man Shiro's house..." Katsuki repeated to himself

Shit, he thought he could let off some steam by finding the useless bastard but there were too many possibilities as to where he could go to. There's no way he would use the same path every time. Ever since he met the nerd he could never tell what he was thinking. 

**_ Flashback _ **

_It had been a week since their mothers introduced them to one another. Katsuki's mom told him to help Izuku since he was still new around the area. Although Katsuki agreed, he was still unsure as to whether he would get along with that kid. The kid and he seemed like complete opposites to each other. He was quiet, shy, and reserved while Katsuki was loud, confident, and bright. But for some reason, Katsuki couldn't leave the kid alone. That kid needed someone and Katsuki was probably all he had. He was going to be the big boy and help Izuku._

_"_ _He..y, Ka..cchan di..d yo..u he..ar th..at?" Izuku asks him_

_"What?" Katsuki tilts his head confused_

_Izuku had problems pronouncing some of the words which made it hard for Katsuki to understand what he was saying._

_"Can you say that again?" Katsuki asks_

_"Did... you...hear...something?" Izuku mumbles_

_"No why?"_

_Katsuki and Izuku were playing with each other in the forest. It was Katsuki's idea. Izuku didn't seem to react to anything at first and the only time he actually reacted was when Katsuki mentioned a forest near the area. So he decided to take Izuku there hoping they could bond over the experience_

_"Th..ats str...ange..I...swore..I..he..ard..so..me..one..ta..lking..just...now" Izuku carries his chin_

_"It must be your imagination Izu" Katsuki scoffs_

_"I...guess" Izuku sighs_

_"So Izu what do you want to do?" Katsuki turns around and asks Izuku_

_"I..don..'t..know" Izuku replies_

_"What?! You were the one who wanted to come here in the first place" Katsuki shouts at Izuku_

_"We..ll...can..we..climb..on..top..of..that..elder..tree?" Izuku looks towards the ground fidgeting his hands_

_"Fine" Katsuki sighs_

_He really can't tell what this kid was thinking. Why the hell did he call that old tree an elder tree? Well, technically he wasn't wrong but still, it was pretty strange._

_Both of them started climbing up towards the tree. Izuku reached the top before Katsuki did. He was a bit surprised but figured that Izuku was used to these kinds of things._

_"Wow!" They both looked in awe at the scenery they saw from on top of the tree._

_Come to think of it Katsuki never bothered looking at the scenery when he climbed on top of the trees. All he thought about was playing with his friends._

_" In..a..sense...the...forest...is...one...great...adventure...in...itself." Izuku mutters to himself as he looked at the entire forest_

_"Adventure?" Katsuki turns his head to look at Izuku_

_"The...forest...is..full...of ..life..and...amazing..things. It's...always...and..hides...many...mysteries..and..magnificent...treasures....That's...what...makes..it..more..exciting" Izuku turns his head to Katsuki and smiles_

_For a moment Katsuki became mesmerized with Izuku's smile. This was the first time he saw him smile since they met and the smile was just as mesmerizing as the scenery itself if not more._

_"What's....wrong...Kacchan?"_

_"Nothing you Nerd!" Katsuki pushes Izuku's face away when he realizes that their faces were too close and he blushes in embarrassment_

_"Anyway, we better climb down and start getting ready to go home." Katsuki quickly tries to recompose himself_

_"Ok" Izuku replies_

_They both start climbing down the tree and_ _Katsuki thinks about what Izuku said about the forest as he climbs down. He never thought about the forest that way before. He just thought it was a great place to play Hide and Seek in and nothing more. But thanks to Izuku's word just now he became more excited as to the ideas of an adventure. Who knew that quiet kid had it in him to think about things like that. Maybe they will get along after all._

** _Flashback End_ **

Katsuki starts clenching his fists when he remembers the times he got along with that shitty nerd. He used to think it was fun and exciting when Deku talked about things like that. He saw the world in a completely different way than he and all his so-called friends did. Now, all it does is piss him off to no end. 

"Umm Kacchan" Tsubasa calls his boss

"What?!" Katsuki snaps at his lackey

"Eeek!" Tsubasa whimpers when he sees his bosses angry face

"Should we chase him?" Yubinaga gulps

"He's probably at home by now so its no use chasing him today." Katsuki clicks his tongue and sighs at the stupidity of his lackeys

"What..should..we..do?" Tsubasa stutters

Seriously Katsuki sometimes wonders why he's hanging out with these idiots. Although he hates Deku, at least he had a brain for god's sake

"Figure it out for yourselves I don't have the time to be dealing with that nerd anyway" Katsuki scoffs

"But Kacchan" Tsubasa pleas

Katsuki just walks away ignoring whatever those extras were trying to say to him. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

**Midoriya Household Izuku's Room: Izuku Pov.**

As soon as Izuku came home after finishing his training with his master, he went into his room and pulled out his notebook from one of the desk drawers. He quickly drew out the layout of the shrine and thought about what he could do with the place as he bit the tip of the pencil. 

Obviously the place needed to be cleaned first and then he would have to tend to the garden and lastly fix that statue. Cleaning the inside and furniture was no big deal, he did it all the time at the dojo. But removing the wilted vines was going to be tough. He was still 5 years old and with his current height, it would be next to impossible to remove them. He could try climbing to the rooftop to remove them. Either way, he's going need to ask someone to lend him a pair of gardening scissors before he gets started since he was pretty sure that his mother didn't have one. Next, he needed to find a way to rebuild that statue. Most of the parts had already crumbled away and Izuku had no idea what the statue originally looked like. Izuku starts scratching his head as he contemplated what to do with the statue.

Suddenly a flash of that white wolf and dream appears in Izuku's mind. 

"Why did I think about that?" Izuku wonders

Come to think of it he still had that book on animals somewhere. Izuku went to the bookshelf and pulled out each book one by one. 

"Found it!" Izuku beams as he holds the book in the air

Izuku opens the book and searches the wolf on the index page and when he finds it he flips through the pages and stops on page 67. On the page was a picture of a wolf and its description. In the middle, the etymology and folklore of the wolf were written there.

_Etymology: The name Okami comes from the word Opokami which means great spirit_

_History: In Japan, the Okami or wolf was once considered as a messenger of the Shinto gods. They offered protection for fields against wild boars and deers. In some regions, people used to believe that wolves were guardians or protectors. They guided and watched over weary travelers who walked through their territories during the night. However, they will choose who to guide and who to eat. It is said that the wolf can see through a person's soul and will offer protection to those with just and kind hearts. On the other hand, it will eat those with unjust and selfish hearts._

"Great spirit, guide, protector..." Izuku stares at the book

The wolf guided him through the very first and second dream just like how this book said. She guided him to the lake, the town, and to the shadow. He then remembers the content of the scroll

_To those who come with goodwill or seek refuge, the shrine will welcome you with open arms. However, those with evil intentions be warned for the shrine will not welcome you._

Maybe the statue is a wolf? It could be possible after all it had four legs and a tail. Plus it fits perfectly with what both the book and scroll said. But just in case he could always go to the library to find records of that shrine. It shouldn't be too hard to find. There weren't that many shrines here in Mustafu anyway.

"Izuku! Dinner is ready" Izuku hears his mother calling him

"Yes, Okaasan" Izuku replies back

He shuts his notebook and heads to the dining room. 

\-------------------------------------------------------

**Dead of the night in an unknown alleyway: ??? Pov. **

"Where is he?!" A man in a nurse outfit shouted

"He is severely injured, he couldn't have gone that far!" A woman shouted

"Shit, if we don't find him it's going to be on our necks on the line!" Another man joins in on the search

"How the hell did he escape?!" Another man asks the others

The young man grabbed onto the pipe he found lying near the trash and held his breath as he hid behind a bunch of wooden boxes that were stacked upon one another.

"Wait, I think I heard something from over there" One of the pursuers pointed towards the alleyway the young man was hiding in

The young man's grip on the pipe strengthens as his hands become covered with sweat when he realizes that one of his pursuers are coming closer to him. In the state he's in right now, he can't use his quirk and the only weapon he has is the pipe he found, they'll easily be able to catch him if they found him. If they catch him now he would have to go back... If he goes back now there's no telling what that man will do to him...

Suddenly a cat jumps out of the trash cans and runs past his pursuers while hissing at them.

"Oh it was a cat" Pursuer #1 sighed

"What are you doing hurry? Hurry up and help us search!" Pursuer #2 called out to his colleague

Both of the pursuers leave the alleyway and hurry over to where the others are. The young man sighed in deep relief when they went away. But he can't let his guard down yet. He was still rather close to the commission building. He needed to go somewhere they couldn't find him. Except there was a huge problem. All he had right now were the clothes on his back he stole from one of the locker rooms and nothing else. He had no money to buy train tickets or food to eat. How was he going to be able to leave this city much less survive?

But he can't hide in this alleyway forever. They would eventually find him here if he stayed here. The least he could do for now is walk over to the borders of the city and hope that no one catches him. He peaks his head out of the boxes and looks around to make sure that none of his pursuers are around.

He runs towards the main street as soon as he could with his thin legs. Luckily he made it and blended into the crowd. With this many people, even that man won't be able to find him.

He walks along the city praying that man and his pursuers won't be able to catch him...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The truth is I don't really know the name of Bakugou's old friend's name so I made up a random name.  
> In this story, Katsuki doesn't really hate Izuku and he does miss his old friend. But his pride keeps getting in the way. He doesn't know how to deal with this frustration so he takes it out on Izuku.  
> This is just my opinion but the irony of human beings is that even though we seek someone who truly sees and understands us for who we are, we are also afraid of it at the same time.


	12. Mysterious Stranger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Izuku finds a stranger collapsed in the middle of the street

**The Shrine: Izuku Pov.**

Izuku walked through the gates with cleaning tools in his hands. Luckily today was Saturday so he can spend all the time he wanted here cleaning. He first goes towards where the statue is and bows towards it. Then he opens the sliding door and goes into the building. First things first. He needed to put all of the stuff outside before he can get started. Izuku opens the closet and cabinet doors moving all of the contents outside on the small terrace. He then removes the white sheets on the furniture and neatly folds them in place setting them aside outside before moving the furniture.

Once he is done, he uses a broomstick to collect any dust or dirt on the tatami floor mats. Then he fetches a bucket full of water that he filled earlier on at the park. He drops a dry cloth into the bucket and squeezes it tightly as he can. The cloth couldn't be too wet or too dry. Izuku starts wiping the pillars and wooden cabinets and then proceeds to wipe the mats.

Izuku makes sure to clean every cracks and corner just like his master taught him to. He checks one final time to make sure that there isn't a speck of dust anywhere in sight. After wiping all of the furniture and stuff, he puts all of the things back in its rightful place.

"That should do it" Izuku wipes the sweat off his face as he puts down the last piece of furniture back into the room

He looks at the room proudly, satisfied with the results.

"Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle" Izuku's stomach starts rumbling

All this cleaning really made him hungry. Plus it was already about lunchtime. He takes some riceballs out of his backpack that his mother made for him when he told her that he would be gone all day long today. But before he could eat he needed to wash his hands. It was really dirty from all the cleaning and he couldn't possibly eat the riceball like this. 

He couldn't use the water from the bucket it was too dirty and he didn't want to go all the way to the park, he was too hungry for that. But he guesses he has no choice in the matter until he sees a gentle breeze of wind carrying the fallen leaves outside. Becoming curious he decides to follow the leaves and it leads him to the back of the shrine where there's an old water pumper.

Izuku has seen these water pumper before in history books. If he remembers correctly in order to get the water out he needed to push the leaver down. He read that they used groundwater or spring water. He hopes that whichever water the water pumper used it was still there and pushes the leaver.

Water came flowing out on to the stone basin as soon as he pushed the leaver. Izuku was really surprised the water was extremely clean, even the forest river wasn't this transparent and clean. Maybe he could even drink from it? But there is a possibility that it could be filled with bacterias that could be dangerous. While Izuku started mumbling, the wind blows behind him. Izuku turns around and looks behind him. Just like before it was as if the wind was telling him something. 

He gulps and decides to trust the winds. After all, it guided him in his dreams and to this shrine. He takes a deep breath and sips on the water.

"It tastes really good" Izuku becomes dumbfounded

This water tasted better than any drinks Izuku has had since... 

"Gurgle. gurgle, gurgle" Izuku's stomach starts rumbling again

He quickly remembers that he came here to wash his hands to eat. After all, water isn't going to fill his empty stomach. Izuku washes his hands and heads back inside the building where he left his riceballs. He picks it up and lunges on it.

"Mmmm" Izuku hummed as he ate the riceball

The riceballs tasted really good especially after a hard day of work although technically it was still half a day. He still had a lot of work to do after this. He needs to remove the vines somehow. It might be a good idea to head to the dojo after this and ask if Master Takahashi could lend him some gardening tools. He should have gone there in the morning but he was so excited that he forgot all about it. 

"Hah" Izuku smiles when he finishes eating all the riceballs

As strange as this place was, it had a very calming atmosphere. The shrine was radiating with warmth and gentleness. He felt safe and protected here. In a way, it felt like home. Izuku makes a silent promise to himself that he would take really good care of this place. 

\---------------------------------------------------------------

**Mustafu General Hospital: Nurse Hamada Pov. **

Nurse Hamada was making sure all of his things were packed into the box as well as making sure that none of the reports or documents that were to be passed onto the next nurse were missing.

Nurse Hamada was to be transferred to a small rural hospital in the Aomori Prefecture. Apparently they did not have enough nurses and doctors in the area and desperately needed help. They assigned Nurse Hamada to the area since he was familiar with the region as it was his hometown as well as very experienced and well-liked by the patients. 

But Nurse Hamada knew the real reason was that the board wanted to get rid of him after the trouble he caused with the Shinso Family. The board didn't like the nurse for his outspokenness but couldn't lay a hand on him because of his popularity with the patients. The Shinso incident and request from the Aomori Prefecture provided the board the perfect opportunity.

"Hey Hamada" His colleague came up behind him and patted his shoulders

"Hey Yamamoto" The nurse greeted back

"Are you done packing?" Nurse Yamamoto asks looking at the nurse with a sad expression

"Yes" Nurse Hamada sadly responds

"I'm going to miss you so much we all are" Nurse Yamamoto hugs Nurse Hamada as tightly as she can

"Me too" Nurse Hamada hugs his colleague back

"Hey but I won't be gone immediately, the board gave me a month's break to let me get ready. I'm already done with the preparation all I have to do is wait for the moving company. I'm completely free until then so we can still hang out until then" Nurse Hamada releases his colleague from the hug and wipes the tear off her eyes

"I guess so..." Nurse Yamamoto moped

"Plus if I'm lucky I'll be sent back here before long" Nurse Hamada winked at Nurse Yamamoto 

"You better" Nurse Yamamoto laughs and lightly punches Nurse Hamada's shoulders

"I'll do my best" Nurse Hamada laughs

"Oh, I better get going. Bye" Nurse Yamamoto runs out the door while waving goodbye

"Bye" Nurse Hamada waves back

Nurse Hamada stares at his empty desk and looks around the room for a while. He gently gazes at everyone else's desks and remembers the fond memories he had in his room. The times he was scolded by Nurse Yamamoto from poking his head into personal matters too much to the time he accidentally spewed coffee onto the head nurse. He is going to miss everyone and this place a lot. Nurse Hamada knew that one day his actions would get him into trouble with the board. He's lucky he wasn't fired or worse had his nursing certification removed. But he does not regret going against the board and helping those people although Nurse Yamamoto would disagree. He chuckles at that thought.

His smartphone starts ringing and he picks it up to notice that it was his sister calling and picked up.

"Hey Sis" Nurse Hamada gently smiles

"Hey little bro" His sister greets him back

"So did you finish packing all your stuff?"

"Geez your such a worrywart Sis, I'm not a kid anymore you know" Nurse Hamada pouts

"To me, you will always my little troublemaker brother" His sister deadpans

"Sis! That was a long time ago!" Nurse Hamada flushes in embarrassment

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway I'm glad that your coming back here regardless of the circumstances" Nurse Hamada could swear his sister is grinning on the other side of the phone

"Me too, I can't wait to eat Grannie's cooking again..." Nurse Hamada replies unenergetically 

"Are you ok?" His sister asks in concern

"What are you talking about I'm perfectly fine" Nurse Hamada tries to distract his sister

"Don't you dare lie to me Hamada Shunske!" His sister scolds him in a very stern voice

Whoops... Whenever his sister uses his full name it means he better coughs up the truth or faces her wrath and he would not want to deal with that.

"Hah, it's just..." Nurse Hamada sighs

"Your worried about your patients and that boy aren't you" His sister had already guessed what was on his mind

Yes... He was worried about the patients he had to leave behind as well as a certain green-headed boy. That day Nurse Hamada gave his contact number in secret to Izuku. He just couldn't ignore that gut feeling he had despite what the others said. Izuku called him a number of times usually to help him treat small cuts and burns that he got from playing he said. 

"I can't help it, Sis. I can't just leave that boy alone. Not after hearing what happens to him at school. I mean sure he's quirkless but why can't they see that there's more to that boy than quirks" Nurse Hamada whimpers

"I know exactly how you feel... It isn't any easier for me either when I see people being discriminated for their quirks or lack of. It really reminds me of the past" His sister sighs

"Except we had Grannie and each other but that boy doesn't have anyone." Nurse Hamada whines

"Hah, if what you told me about the boy is true then you have nothing to worry about. He's probably a lot stronger than we imagine he is. Plus you said that boy has been taking martial arts classes with your drinking buddy's grandfather. "

"But no matter how strong he is, society will never accept him just because of his status!" Nurse Hamada tries to retort before his sister stops him

"Action speaks louder than words Shunske that is true for everyone. It may take time but I believe from what you told me that the boy has the ability to change the people around him. People especially children in nature are curious. Even if their minds were corrupted by society they will continue to seek new answers. Once they see the boy in action than they will want to get to know him and from there, people will finally see him for who he is." His sister explains to him

"I hope so Sis" Nurse Hamada sighs and resigns to his sister's argument

"Anyway I have to get back to work so see you later"

"See you later Sis" Nurse Hamada grins and cuts the phone call

Just as his sister said maybe he has nothing to worry about. His drinking buddy said that his grandfather rarely accepts students and for him to actually to choose one means he sees a lot of potential in Izuku. The only reason Izuku doesn't fight back against the bullies is because of the teachers and Sakurada said her colleague was helping Izuku as much as he can which is rare of the man. Although the news of Midoriya's divorce concerned him at first the last time it didn't seem to affect him in the least. He had nothing to worry about academics the kid was a freaking genius! Maybe he will truly be all right.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

**On the way back to the shrine: Izuku Pov.**

Izuku was prancing on his way to the shrine carrying a bag with gardening tools that he got from his Master. At first, Izuku just wanted to borrow them but instead the senior gave him his old ones telling him that he couldn't use it anymore because of his old age. Izuku giggles as he looks into the bag. However just as he turned around the corner he accidentally bumps into someone.

"I'm so sorry" Izuku desperately bowed down to the stranger to apologize

"..." The stranger remained silent and walked past him

Izuku's heart started screaming that something was very wrong with that stranger he just bumped into right now. Becoming concerned with what he saw just moments ago, he turned around and chased the stranger. Before Izuku could catch up to him the stranger collapsed in the middle of the streets.

"Are you alright!?" Izuku ran up towards the stranger

The stranger was burning! He must be having a fever. On top of that judging on closer inspection underneath the poorly wrapped bandages, the stranger is suffering from 3rd-degree burns. His burns must have become infected causing him to have a fever. He needs to go to the hospital asap! However, just as Izuku was about to call the hospital, the stranger grabbed his hands and stopped him.

"Please, don't call anyone..." The stranger mutters in delirium

"Please let me call the hospital you will die if you don't receive proper medical care astat!" Izuku pleaded to the stranger

"Please no hospitals.." The stranger continually refused

"At least let me call the police, heroes, or someone" Izuku kept trying to convince the stranger

"NO! NO HEROES!" The stranger violently yelled as his breathing started getting heavier

Izuku realized that the stranger was having a panic attack and tried to quickly calm him down.

"Please don't hand me over to them" The stranger pleaded as he slowly drifted into unconsciousness

"I promise you no heroes" Izuku tried to reassure the stranger

The stranger fainted. What is he going to do now? The stranger begged him not to take him to the hospital or notify the heroes. The man had a violent reaction against those words just now. If he went against this person's wishes there's a possibility that he might go into a panic attack and worsen his condition.

But Izuku couldn't treat him. Sure he knew how to apply basic first aid and have a lot of medical knowledge but he was far from actually treating a person. Having an untrained person treating a patient was extremely dangerous. Not only that there was no medical equipment or clean environment to do surgery in. This man needed to go to the hospital.

Izuku looked at the stranger's face. The man looked like he was still around 9 or 10 years old. But judging how light he is he must be severely malnourished causing it to affect his growth spurt. For all, he knows this man could be a teenager or an adult. Izuku stared at the stranger's face remembering his words

_"Please don't hand me over to them"  
_

Whatever it was this man was clearly desperate and was probably running away from something. He needed help and Izuku was the only one who could possibly help him.

Izuku carries the stranger in a princess style and tries to look for a place where he could take the man to. His master's place had officer Takahashi and the man clearly said no police. He couldn't take the man to his home either. If his mother notices she'll probably panic and become really upset. Then an idea pops into his mind. He could take him to his secret hideout. Nobody knew about the place except for him. 

Izuku ran towards the shrine as soon as he could, as well as making sure not to cause to much discomfort to the stranger. He quickly opened the doors and laid him down on the floor. Thank god he cleaned the place just now. He rummaged through his bag looking for the pen case and first aid kit he had been carrying around since he started getting bullied. He also opened one of the closet doors and took out the bandages that were stored inside it.

Izuku slowly removed the stranger's clothes to find both his arms, legs, and around his neck to be bandaged. He then proceeded to remove the bandages. Luckily only the left hand and left leg were the ones that were severely burned and the right side seemed much lighter. Plus the infection wasn't as bad as he had initially thought. But he couldn't let his guard down.

He quickly soaked the pin and cutter set in disinfection alcohol. He also did his best to wash his hand with it as well and proceeded to remove any of the dead tissues on the man's skin. He had to be extremely careful. One wrong move and this man could be in danger.

Luckily he managed to remove any remaining dead tissue and disinfect the areas without much problem. He carefully wraps the bandages loosely around the burned areas. If the bandage is too tight there's a possibility it could interrupt the blood circulation.

Izuku touched the man's forehead to check his temperature. As expected the man was still having a fever. He needed medicine and antibiotics to treat it but where could he possibly get them?

Another idea pops into Izuku's head. The man said no hospitals but he never said he could call someone from the hospital. Izuku quickly dialed the number and waited for the man to pick up.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Near the entrance of the Shrine: Nurse Hamada's Pov.**

Nurse Hamada sighs as he pulls his car over. Why in the world did he agree to this? 

_Flashback 2 hours ago_

_2 hours ago, just as Nurse Hamada was about to leave the hospital he received a phone call from Izuku._

_"Nurse Hamada I need your help"_

_"Izuku?" Nurse Hamada asks in surprise_

_"A man probably in his early teens collapsed in the middle of the street near the park"_

_"Ok I'll get the ambulance" Nurse Hamada gets ready to grab one of the telephones until Izuku interrupted him_

_"No, you can't" The boy pleaded to him_

_"Why not?" Nurse Hamada asks with a grieved expression on his face_

_Izuku sometimes called Nurse Hamada when there was a medical emergency from time to time as well. Normally the boy would let him call the ambulance but this is the first time he stopped him. Whatever was going on was not good._

_Nurse Hamada listens to Izuku's explanation as to what condition the man was in and how the man had begged him not to call the hospital, police and especially heroes_

_"So I took him somewhere safe and treated him myself" Izuku finished explaining_

_"WAIT! WHAT!" Nurse Hamada screams into the phone. He quickly realizes how loud he was speaking and looks around to see if anyone was there or listening_

_"How could you treat a patient without any medical training much less medical license are you crazy you could have killed him!" Nurse Hamada scolds the boy as quietly as he can while moving into a more secluded room so he wouldn't be overheard_

_"Anway he needs antibiotics or else he's going to die from infection!" Izuku moved on with the conversation ignoring what Nurse Hamada was saying_

_"He needs to be treated at the hospital Izuku! Neither you nor I have enough medical training to deal with a patient that is in such critical condition"_

_"I know but you once told me that we have to respect the patient's wishes as much as their welfare" Izuku retorts_

_"Not when it could endanger his life" Nurse Hamada frowns and slaps himself. He should have been more careful with what he said to Izuku._

_"Nurse Hamada I saw other wounds other than his burns that look very old. There is a high possibility that he is being abused by whoever he was running from. Plus he had a panic attack when I mentioned the hospital, police, and heroes." Izuku explains_

_"That means if he comes to the hospital there is a high chance that we would return him to his abusers or risk endangering both his mental and physical health. Shit Izuku you really caused trouble this time!" Nurse Hamada scruffles his hair_

_If the patient isn't treated in the hospital in time there is a high possibility he could die. But on the other hand, whoever caused his injuries to become this severe might kill him the moment they find him. Plus the fragile state the patient's mental state could be in is also dangerous. Either way, the patient is screwed whether he comes to the hospital or not._

_"Fine! I'll get the antibiotics and other medical supplies needed to treat the patient but after this, we're going to have a long talk got it!" Nurse Hamada commands_

_"Thank you!" Izuku replies_

_Flashback End_

Nurse Hamada sighs again as he gets out of the car and brings out a first aid box full of medicine he smuggled out of the hospital. He was extremely worried that he would get caught but luckily the hospital staff seemed to be distracted by something else so he was able to easily smuggle them out without anyone noticing. They would probably find out tomorrow when they do the daily rounds and checks. Well, he won't be there tomorrow anyway and nobody would ever suspect him. This is the second time he is glad he was popular and had a good reputation.

"Nurse Hamada over here!" Nurse Hamada looks up and sees Izuku waving at him.

"Where is the patient Izuku!?" Nurse Hamada stomps to where Izuku is and glares at him

"At my secret hideout, I'll take you there" Izuku points at the stone pathway

"Oh no..." Nurse Hamada slaps himself in the forehead.

A child's hideout is not an ideal place to treat a patient. What was Izuku thinking bringing him to a place like that? He thought Izuku was smarter than this. He of all people should know the importance of sanitation when treating a patient. At the very least he could have chosen a place a building or a room or something of the sorts. 

Right now, regardless of what Izuku did, the priority was to check the patient. Nurse Hamada quickly follows Izuku through the pathway. He looks around the pathway as follows Izuku. Oh god please do not tell him that he treated the patient in this place outdoors...

"Hurry!" Izuku calls out to him

Nurse Hamada runs through the pathway to catch up to Izuku. When he arrives at the end of the pathway he sees the tori above him. That's strange he's never heard of a shrine in the area. Nevermind that! 

Izuku leads him to the shrine and opens the sliding door. There he sees a child lying down on the futon sleeping.

"Is this the person you were talking about Izuku?" Nurse Hamada points at the child

"Yes" Izuku nods

Nurse Hamada approaches the child. He checks the boy's vitals and then takes a thermometer out of the first aid box to check his temperature.

"37.5 degrees" Nurse Hamada whispers to himself

The fever wasn't that bad and the boy was breathing normally. He then proceeds to take off the covers of the futon to check the boy's wounds. He removes the bandages and examines the wounds.

"Izuku did you this?" Nurse Hamada asks

"Yes, did I do something wrong? I did everything by the book" Izuku asks worryingly

Wrong? Izuku did it perfectly. Nurse Hamada was stunned when he saw the condition of the wounds. He couldn't believe an amateur much less a 5-year-old treated a 3rd-degree burn this well without receiving any kind of medical training. He knew the boy was talented but not this talented. What the hell is this boy?

"Nurse Hamada?" Izuku waves his hand in his face

"No, you did a good job" Nurse Hamada snaps out and reassures Izuku

"Thank god" Izuku sighs a breath of relief

He takes out a needle and shoots the antibiotics on his arms. He then wraps a new pair of bandages on the patient and puts the covers back on him. 

"I can't say for certain since I'm a nurse but he seems in pretty good condition considering the wounds he has. His fever isn't that high either. I gave him some antibiotics so his fever should subside soon" Nurse Hamada reports

"Thank you Nurse Hamada" Izuku hugs him

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------

** The next day at the Shrine: ??? Pov. **

The stranger slowly opened his eyes and looked around the room. It was a traditional Japanese style room with tatami on the floors. Oh no, he was back...

"Hey sleepy face, I'm glad to see you are finally awake" Nurse Hamada chimes in

The stranger remained silent. He had never seen the man before but he was probably another doctor that man hired

"My name is Hamada Shunsuke. Do you know where you are?" Nurse Hamada asks the stranger

"..." The stranger didn't reply. He had no intention of answering any of the man's question

"Well, we're in an abandoned shrine near Mustafu Park"

Wait. A shrine? This wasn't that place? The stranger widened his eyes and quickly looks around the room again to realize that although this place was similar to that place, the layout and furniture were completely different. Suddenly he hears the door sliding open and he tries to go into a fighting stance

"I'm glad you are ok Oniichan!" a young boy runs into the room and approaches him

The stranger becomes dumbfounded and unable to speak

"I'm sorry I couldn't help much but this was the only place. I could think of" the green-headed boy explains to him

The stranger turns around to the nurse with his mouth gaping open gesturing for an explanation

"This boy was the one who found and brought you here. If he had not treated you, you probably would have died from infection" Nurse Hamada explains to the stranger

Wait this boy who couldn't be older than 4 or 5 was the one who brought him here? Not only that he saved his life?

"What happened?" The stranger finally spoke

"You passed out in the middle of the streets and when I tried to call the hospital you stopped me asking me not to take you to them. So I brought you here and treated your burns the best I could. But you were suffering from infestation so I called Nurse Hamada for help. He smuggled some of the antibiotics and medicine out of the hospital. He sent me home and looked after you the entire time" Izuku explains

"Why didn't you hand me over to the heroes, police or anyone?" the stranger asks with his eyes full of doubt

"You looked like you were running away from something. You also had a panic attack when I mentioned about them so I thought I shouldn't" Izuku looked down on to the mats

"What would you have done if I was a villain kid?!" the stranger screamed at the boy

"Oh yeah, I never really thought about that part" the boy looks up and scratches his head

The stranger was completely dumbfounded by the kid's stupidity. He had no words left for the boy.

"Didn't you think I was a lost cause. That guy over there said I was in pretty serious condition"

"You aren't a lost cause. As long as you are alive there will always be hope no matter how small it may be" The boy stared straight into the stranger's eyes

"..." the stranger remained silent

"Its no use provoking the kid, young man. Once he's determined no one can stop him." Nurse Hamada sighs

"But after this, we are going to have a long talk about the unsupervised and untrained medical procedure!" Nurse Hamada glares at the boy

The stranger couldn't believe any of this right now. Surely this had to be a dream right? But he could still feel the pains on his arms and legs. 

"Oh yeah, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Midoriya Izuku its nice to meet you, Onichan!" The boy greets him

"Uhhh thanks for saving my life, I guess?" The stranger replies

"Any way you still need to rest so go back to sleep" Nurse Hamada commands the stranger

The stranger lies down on the futon and slowly falls asleep. Maybe he'll wake up and this would be all a dream. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I do not have any kind of medical knowledge so please forgive me if I have made any mistakes


	13. Nabu Island

**2041: On the ferry to Nabu Island**

"Urgh" Mahiro runs to the side of the ship and vomits while hanging onto the lanes

"How many times has that been?" Ray points at Mahiro

"I think it was the 7th" Ryo replies

The day after that phone talk with Edward, Ray, Ryo, and Mahiro immediately reported their findings to the chief division and requested permission to search the island again. The chief was hesitant at first to let them go since they've already investigated there and found nothing. But he ultimately decided to give them his permission after looking at the codes that Ray decrypted. 

"I thought Natsu and Gajeel were bad" Ray looks at Mahiro with pity

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot that those 2 have really bad motion sickness"

"Well it can't be helped since their both dragonslayers" Ray shrugs his shoulders

"Oh yeah, you said it was a side effect or something right?" Ryo asks

"Yes" Ray replies

"Urgh" Mahiro barfs again

"And there goes the 8th" Ryo comments "I hope we get there before Mahiro throws up his entire stomach into the ocean" 

"I hope so too" Ray sighs

"Oh yeah speaking of which. We're meeting her at the island right?" Ryo asks

"Her?" Ray tilts his head looking confused "Oh you mean Miss Triton" puts his fist onto his palms

"Miss Layla Katherine Triton" Mahiro cuts in

"Woah!" Ryo and Ray jump in surprise when they notice Mahiro is right behind them

"Miss Layla Katherine Triton was born in the city of London in 2017. She is 24 years old and 165cm high. Her parents are Luke Triton and Marina Triton. She works both as a freelance archaeologist and a private detective in London." Mahiro eye's glint

"Looks like someone did their homework and weren't you supposed to be barfing just now" Ryo sarcastically remarks

"Wait!" Mahiro starts running to the side of the boat again

"There goes the 9th one" Ryo deadpans

"Stop torturing the poor guy" Ray nudges Ryo

"Well I can't help myself" Ryo grins

"I seriously feel sorry for Mahiro for having a childhood friend like you" Ray slaps himself in the face

"Oh come on. You mean he's lucky to have one like me" Ryo points to himself

"Yeah keep telling yourself that" Ray deadpans

"Anyway, I did a little research about her myself. I heard she's famous in Europe for solving unsolved cases, cracking any kind of puzzles, and a coding genius." Ryo points his finger above the air

"Yes, I've heard. She even managed to solve a code that even Edward had trouble decrypting" Ray replies

"That alchemist buddy of yours?" Ryo asks curiously

"Yes," Ray replies

"Woah than she must be something. I can't wait to meet her. Oh yeah I also heard that she was super hot" Ryo excitingly squeals

"Why do I get the feeling that its the latter that you're more excited about?" Ray deadpans

"WE HAVE ARRIVED!" The ship captain shouts out

"Oh already?" Ryo walks to the side of the ship

"I guess we better get going then. I'll go help the others while you help Mahiro get off the ship" Ray runs back into the cabins

"Ok got it" Ryo replies. He then grabs the half-conscious Mahiro and carries him over his shoulders

\------------------------------------------

**Nabu Island Port**

"We're finally done with unloading all the equipment. Now all we have to do is transport them to the inn we'll be staying at for a while" Ray wipes the sweat off his head

Ray thanks everyone for their hard work and writes up the documents needed to transport the equipment. Once he is done he heads to where Ryo and Mahiro are.

"Sorry I'm late how is Mahiro doing?" Ray walks up to them when he spots them

"I'm ok" Mahiro weakly replies

"He'll be fine in a couple of more minutes" Ryo explains

"Ok" Ray gently smiles

"Hey" A voice calls out to them

Ray and Ryo turn around to see who was talking to them and low and behold it was...

"Zeref! Anna!" Ray shouts while pointing at them

"Hey Ray long time no see" Anna waves at them

"Long time no see too" Zeref follows

"How? What? Why? What are you guys doing here!?" Ray scruffles his hair bewildered with the situation

"Well we were curious about the ruins so we decided to come here" Anna explains

"After all it's not every day you get to find some ancient ruins that nobody knows about. Are you unhappy to see us?" Zeref grins

"No, it's just that I can understand Anna being here but I mean Zeref you just got married this spring. Wait, what about Mavis?" Ray asks confusingly

"Mavis is completely fine with it. We're used to having a long-distance relationship anyway. Plus she said she would join us once she's done with repaying the fine and filing an apology to the council" Zeref laughs

"Let me guess, one of her students did something crazy again?" Ray sighs

"Yup, Erza went overboard again and destroyed one of the buildings in town while on an internship" Zeref sighs

"As expected of the daughter of the strongest enchantment mage of the century" Ray carries his head

"Speaking of which. Irene wanted to come too but since her daughter is still a minor and she caused that problem, she decided to stay behind " Anna speaks up

"That's too bad I would have loved to meet her again" Ray frowns 

"Ummm. We're here too you know" Ryo raises his hand

"Oh sorry Ryo we didn't mean to ignore you" Zeref claps his hand together

"No problem" Ryo grins

Zeref and Ray were old childhood friends. They met through one of the gatherings between mages and alchemists that Ray's uncle and Zeref's parents took them to when they were very young and have been very good friends ever since. Anna was an old family friend of Zeref's family and was his tutor for a while. Ray met her when he went over Zeref's house to play with him. He considers her as somewhat as a big sister figure in his life.

Ryo and Mahiro met them when they came to visit Ray during College with Zeref's now-wife Mavis. They were relatively ok with them finding out about the secret societies. More like they were completely chilled about it.

"Hello, Zeref and Miss Anna" Mahiro gets up from the bench to greet them

"Woah you look pale. Let me guess Seasick" Zeref points at Mahiro

"Yes, how did you... Oh yeah, your brother. Please tell me you did not bring him here with you" Mahiro whimpers

"Don't worry he's stuck at home for a while. He's too busy preparing for the finals and Anna's niece Lucy is keeping an eye on him" Zeref pats Mahiro's shoulders trying to reassure him

"Thank god. If she's the one looking after him than he shouldn't cause too many problems" Mahiro sighs a breath of relief 

Natsu is Zeref's younger brother. Unlike him, he is energetic and has a really cheerful personality. Natsu originally had flame magic just like his father but was taught dragon slayer magic by a flame dragon named Igneel who took a liking to the boy. He was a great kid overall. However, he always caused trouble everywhere he went and was sort of infamous in both mages and alchemist societies for being a problem child. Mahiro and Ray met Natsu when he came with Zeref once and accidentally destroyed Mahiro's project which took him weeks to finish. Ever since then Mahiro has become traumatized by the incident.

"Oh yeah where's the girl that you said was going to help you guys?" Anna looks around

"She sent me a message that she would meet us at the site" Ray replies

"Then what are we waiting for let's hurry" Zeref points at a car gesturing them to get on

Everyone nods and starts heading towards the car. Since Mahiro was still seasick Ray and Ryo supported him until they put him down in the rear seat. Zeref gets on the driver's seat while Anna sits on the passenger seat. Zeref starts the car and they head towards the sight.

"Things have just become more exciting" Ray whispers to himself 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for adding more characters to the story. I wanted to add more spin and I may have gone overboard with it. To be honest, I feel like the more I write this fanfiction the crazier it gets. It may be because I keep writing without any clear plan in my mind. I just wrote whatever pops into my head. At this point, the story has completely spun out of control. But I'm going to continue with it anyway


	14. Name and Identity

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: I changed the order of the chapters. Chapter 13 will be 14 and chapter 14 will be 13

**2337 The shrine: ??? Pov.**

It was official this was not a dream...

It had been a week since he had woken up in the shrine. At first, he thought all of this was just a crazy dream or he had completely lost his mind or something. After all, there's no way he was rescued by a 5-year-old right? However, he was proven wrong the next time he woke up and saw the cinnamon roll binding his bandages. He had a hard time accepting this reality for the first 3 days but finally accepted it on the 4th. As crazy as it was this cinnamon roll really did save his life.

The stranger stares at the wounds on his arms for a while. The burns were healing pretty well thanks to the kid and old man's nursing. The old man stayed by his side 24/7 tending to his every need and only leaving when he needed to buy food or bring extra medical supplies. The kid comes by during the afternoon to disinfect his wounds and rewrap his bandages. Although he was reluctant about the kid treating him, he gets a panic attack whenever the old man tries to treat him especially since he found out that he was a nurse. 

"Soba" 

Speak of the devil here he is now.

"Come in" The boy replies

The old man opens the sliding door bringing with him a bowl of porridge with him. As always he brings out the foldable bed table from one of the storage closets and sets it up on the futon. He watches as he slowly laid the bowl of porridge making sure it doesn't spill and spoon on it.

"Thanks" The boy thanks the old man

"You know you don't have to say Soba every time you come in. You can just say something else" The boy deadpans

"Well when we asked you what word you would be comfortable with you said Soba" The old man replies

"I was delirious and wasn't in the right mind when I said that" the boy's eyebrows furrows

"Well too late you're stuck with it young man" The old man grins

"tch" the boy clicks his tongue

They started using this safe word after he nearly burnt the nurse during one of his panic attacks. He thought they would kick him out after that little episode but instead, the old man reassured him that he was ok and that anyone would react like that in his circumstances. 

He stares at the nurse while eating the porridge. Why won't he ask him anything? They didn't even ask him about his quirk after he nearly burned down the building. Sure he was glad that they didn't push him for answers but still... I mean people would be normally curious about it right?

"Umm..."

Before the boy could ask more he hears a ringing sound coming from the old man's pocket. The old man picks it up and opens his smartphone.

"It's from Izuku. He's at the library, he wanted me to ask you what kind of books you would like since you must be pretty bored staying inside all day."

"Anything's fine whatever the kid would like" The boy turns away

"I wouldn't let him if I were you. That kid will literally bring you an encyclopedia book if you let him and that's if you're lucky. The last time he recommended me something it was in a different language" The old man deadpans

"Seriously!? Fine, then some manga and short novels will do!" The boy sighs and slaps himself in the face

"All right I'll tell him that" The nurse snickers

He should have burned the guy.

"Anyway, I'll clean this up" The old man picks up the empty bowl and spoon. 

The old man puts the foldable table back into the closet and heads to the back of the shrine where the water pump is. The old man won't be back for a while so he's alone with his thoughts again. 

He sighs as he slumps back into the futon. As thankful as he is that he was rescued by them, he couldn't help but feel weird about the situation he was in. Well anyone would be if they were rescued by a kid and brought to this strange place. But still... The old man was weird in his own right but the kid was even weirder. He had this mysterious vibe that made the boy feel calm and reassured especially whenever he had a panic attack. He thought the boy was using some sort of empathy quirk but quickly realized that wasn't the case after spending time with him. 

He turns his body sideways and looks at the sliding doors. This place was also very strange, just like the boy the shrine also gave off this weird mystical and whimsical feeling to him. Ever since he came to the shrine his wounds been healing faster than they would normally do and he didn't feel sick all of the time. He honestly felt really comfortable here more than... 

"Soba!"

Oh speak of the devil

The boy comes running toward him and sets down his bags. 

"How are you doing?" Izuku asks

"Fine" The boy grumbles

The kid was staring at him with a really bright smile on his face. God, his smile was seriously blinding...

"I'll treat your burns after I wash my hands. Oh, and I brought you the manga and novel books you requested for." Izuku brings out the books and sets it beside the futon

"Thanks" 

The cinnamon roll immediately heads out the doors to the back of the shrine. There he comes in goes again... The boy picks up one of the manga books set next to him and starts reading it. While he does the old man comes back in the room. 

"I thought I heard Izuku just now" The old man scratches his head

"You just missed each other right now. He's at the water pump washing his hands" The boy replies while turning the pages.

"Well that explains" The old man shrugs

"Are those books the one Izuku brought?" The old man points at the pile of books next to the futon

"Yeah, I was worried for a sec when I saw the publishing dates but the kid actually has pretty good taste. This manga is seriously fucking old but still pretty fun to read" The boy flips to the next page

"Hey, nurse Hamada!" Izuku calls out to the old man

"Hey, Izuku" The old man greets him back

"Well, I guess that's my cue to go outside. Call me when you need help Izuku" The old man looks at the first aid kit in Izuku's hands

"You don't have to you know" The boy scoffs

"Nonsense. I would love to watch over Izuku but I know that you still don't feel comfortable around me when Izuku is treating your burns. I won't be in here until you feel completely comfortable" The old man nags him

The old man walks outside and Izuku starts treating his wounds. 

\--------------------------------------------------------- 

**Outside the Shrine: Nurse Hamada Pov.**

Nurse Hamada gently smiles as he watches over Izuku treating the patient's burns from outside the building. The kid was doing a really great job you couldn't believe he was an amateur with the skills he got. He's also glad that the young man was doing better. His burns were healing faster than he had expected and his mental state was significantly better than when he first arrived here. 

But there were so many questions he had about the young man. He didn't want to stress the patient by asking him so many questions especially since he seemed so adamant about keeping it a secret. He's been here for almost a week and he still hasn't even told Izuku his name. But even so, the questions keep nagging at him like what's his name? Where does he come from? How old is he? When and how did he get those scars?

All he could tell about the boy was that he was short, had red hair, and turquoise eyes. He has 3rd-degree burns on both his arms and legs as well as around his neck which Izuku theorized is probably from a quirk. He also has a lot of old scarring on the back. He's probably around 10 to 12 years old but he was severely malnourished so there's a possibility that his growth was stunted making it difficult to tell how old the young man really is.

He knew one thing was for certain, the young man was very scared of adults. He had panic attacks and would go into a frenzy whenever the nurse came too close to him. It was even worse when he accidentally let it slip that he was a nurse. It took him 4 days to finally allow the nurse to come close to him. But, he still doesn't fully trust or feel comfortable around him. Izuku is probably right about him being a victim of abuse judging by his reactions.

"How could they do this to a child!?" Nurse Hamada becomes furious with the thought and starts clenching his fists.

The Shinso boy was in pretty bad condition and would flinch whenever he saw an adult walking towards him but this was even worse. What did they do to the boy to make his mental state deteriorate to the point where he has a panic attack whenever an adult approaches him? If he ever meets the son of a bitch he's going to send him flying that's for sure.

Speaking of panic attacks, Izuku mentioned that he had a pretty bad reaction with the word heroes. Maybe they were somehow connected? Well, to be honest, he wouldn't put anything past by those bastards.

Unlike most people, Nurse Hamada didn't think well of the hero community. He would never say this in front of anyone except his family but he sometimes wishes they would go to hell. He knows that there are really good heroes like All Might, Eraserhead, and Gang Orca who really care about the people they protect. But there are way too many heroes who are selfish and only care about themselves. The Hero's Public Safety Committee was no different, if not even worse. He should know since he has very personal experience with them...

Come to think of it...

_Flashback_

_Shit, he forgot about his promise with Nurse Yamamoto to hang out with her before he left. He quickly dials her number and calls her._

_"Hey Yamamoto, I'm really sorry but I might have to cancel the hangouts" Nurse Hamada apologizes ferociously._

_"It's alright. I can't get away from the hospital anyway" Nurse Yamamoto sighs_

_Thank god she's not angry with him..._

_"Well I guess it can't be helped since the hospital is understaffed anyway until the new nurses arrive" Nurse Hamada smiles_

_"That too, but these goddamn people in black fancy suits are making it difficult to do our jobs"_

_"Black suits?" Nurse Hamada asks curiously_

_"They came after you left the hospital. They were talking with the director about something but we don't know exactly what. Since then they've been harassing the medical staff every day. If they keep doing this I am going to literally kick their asses out of the hospital. Your lucky you aren't here" Nurse Yamamoto explains_

_"Ahahah" Nurse Hamada weakly laughs and starts sweating profusely. If she ever finds out what he's doing right now and how he smuggled medicine out of the hospital he is seriously dead..._

_"Sorry I have to go now a patient just pushed the button"_

_"Ok see you" Nurse Hamada gently smiles_

_"See you and tell me when you get settled" Nurse Yamamoto scolds him_

_"I promise I will bye" Nurse Hamada cuts the phone_

_Flashback End_

In a sense, he was lucky that they came. It explains why he was able to smuggle out medicine without being noticed. But... Was it really a coincidence that they came? 

"Black suits" he muttered to himself

The Police coming to the hospital weren't rare but wearing black suits? There were cases where people from the police force wore black suits but usually, it was only for formal occasions like a party. The only answer that would leave is that they belonged to the government. But what would government agents want with a hospital in the outskirts of the city? There were no big incidents near the area or high ranking villains currently residing here. A memory flashes by in his mind. Could it be...? 

"Nurse Hamada, I'm done!" Izuku calls out to him

That's his cue to go back in. The nurse goes back into the room and sits down beside Izuku inspecting the work he did.

"How did I do?" Izuku looks at the nurse worryingly

"You did a really good job Izuku" The nurse scruffles Izuku's head

"Growl"

"Ahahaha I'll get you something to eat Izuku" The nurse laughs

"Thanks, Nurse Hamada" Izuku laughs as well

"Growl" 

"Woah you must be really hungry," The nurse goes to one of the cabinet doors where he stored some of the food

"That wasn't me" Izuku tilts his head confused

Izuku then turns his head towards the young man. The young man immediately turns his head away but his ears were red from embarrassment. 

"Wow you just ate like 1 hour ago and you're already hungry?" The nurse deadpans

"Shut up" The young man pouts

"Ahahah, I was just teasing you. It's good to know that you have a good appetite young man it means you're recovering well." The nurse laughs

"...ya" The boy grumbles something

"What?" Nurse Hamada puts his hands beside his ears

"My name is Touya" The boy repeats himself

Both Izuku and Nurse Hamada's eyes widen when they hear the young man's name.

"Excuse me, can you repeat what you just said right now," The nurse asks while pointing his fingers above the air.

"You've got to be kidding me" Touya deadpans

"I'm sorry, I was just surprised" The nurse apologizes. He was literally caught off guard just now. He never expected the young man to actually reveal his name to either of them.

"Are you sure you're alright with it?" Izuku asks worryingly

Izuku was right to ask. The young man or Touya had been adamant about not revealing anything about himself. Why did he choose to reveal his name now?

"Well, I thought it would be easier for you guys to call me by my name instead of young man or Oniichan. Plus I thought my saviors deserved to know my name" Touya crosses his arms

"Ok, then I'll fix us something to eat at the back of the shrine. Izuku can you look after Touya while I do?" Nurse Hamada looks at Izuku

"Ok!" Izuku's face brighten ups

Nurse Hamada closes the door behind him as he leaves. He heads to the back of the shrine and put some twigs in the old stone stove next to the water pumper. 

"Touya huh" The nurse whispers to himself as lights up the stove with the lighter. The name had a very nice ringing to it, very befitting of the young man and his quirk. But he couldn't get off the feeling that he heard that name somewhere before...

\--------------------------------------------------------------

**Inside the building: Izuku's Pov.**

Izuku smiles as he moves the folding table out of the cabinet doors onto the futon. He was happy to finally hear the Oniichan's real name.

"Here you go Touya-san" 

"Thanks, cinnamon roll and you can just call me Touya" Touya gently smiles at him

"Ok! Touya" Izuku smiles brightly

"I hope the manga books I got you were ok? I was kind of worried since they are pretty old" Izuku starts fidgeting his hands

"It's pretty interesting thanks kid" Touya starts patting Izuku's head and gently smiles at him

Touya sometimes gives off this warm big brother kind of feeling. Izuku sometimes wonders if he has any siblings since he seemed so used to these kinds of things. But he decided not to pry any further. Learning his real name was enough for now. When he was ready he will talk to him about it someday.

"Your hands are really cool Touya" Izuku slowly puts his hand on Touya's

This is something Izuku noticed when Touya's fever broke. The day when Touya broke his fever, Nurse Hamada took his temperature it was 35.5 degrees. He and Nurse Hamada were really worried about it at first but he didn't seem to have any problems so they figured it must be his normal temperature. They asked him later on just to be on the safe side. 

"I'm sorry does it feel uncomfortable?" Touya asks worryingly

"No, it feels really nice" Izuku closes his eyes and rubs his head against Touya's hand

"Good" Touya smiles

"I brought some cards with me do you want to play?" Izuku runs towards his bags and rummages through them 

"Sure but I only know how to play Babanuki if that's alright with you?"

"Sure!" Izuku eyes twinkle

Izuku shuffles the cards and gives out even cards. Before they start they do rock, paper, and scissors to decide who will go first. Izuku wins and he makes the first move. After a while, they only have 3 cards left. Izuku looks at Touya's face and picks out one of the cards. 

"Yes! I win!" Izuku shouts as he discards the last pair of his cards

"I can't believe I lost!" Touya throws his cards into the airs and scruffles his hair

"Well, you're pretty easy to read Touya" Izuku smiles

"Shut up, I want a rematch" Touya points his fingers at Izuku

"Oh, you're on" Izuku eyes flame up. It has been a while since he had this much fun playing games. Sure he plays chess with Officer Ono from time to time but it was still nice playing with someone. 

Izuku begins shuffling the cards again and passes a new set of cards to both Touya and him. Izuku looks at his card set and frowns a bit behind the cards. Oh great, he's the one with the joker this time. Since Izuku was the winner of the last match he went first again. He picks one of the cards out of Touya's hands and discards the pair in his hands. Next, it was Touya's turn. Izuku chuckled a bit when he saw how serious and weird Touya's face was.

"What are you laughing at?" Touya looks at Izuku 

"I'm sorry it's just your face" Izuku tries to hold on to his mouth

"What about my face?" Touya eyebrows twitches

"Well it's just that you are so easy to read" Izuku almost bursts into laughter

"Why I oughta, come here you brat" Touya pulls Izuku into his arms and starts scruffling his hair

"What are you two doing?" Nurse Hamada comes in through the door carrying the food he prepared. 

"We were playing Babanuki" Izuku replies

"And I magnificently lost to the cinnamon roll" Touya scoffs

"Babanuki huh. You know I was the reigning champ where I came from" Nurse Hamada carries his chin

"Yeah right" Touya blankly stares at the man in disbelief

"I really was you know!" Nurse Hamada whimpers

"I'll go wash my hands now" Izuku tries to get away so he doesn't get caught up in this mess

"Even the kid doesn't believe you" Touya smirks

"Izuku please tell me you believe me" Nurse Hamada grabs Izuku's shoulder sobbing

"I don't know I wasn't there so I can't say if your lying or not and I never played with you either so I have no idea how strong you are" Izuku replies

"That is one straight-laced answer cinnamon roll" Touya deadpans

"Ok so all I gotta do is to prove how strong I am and then you'll believe me" The nurse evilly grins

"I guess?" Izuku shifts backward. He has a very bad feeling about this...

"Ok then after we eat we're going to have a babanuki tournament and I'm not going to take no for an answer" Nurse Hamada laughs loudly

"Cinnamon roll, you just got us into huge loads of trouble" Touya's eyebrow twitches

"I'm sorry I never knew Nurse Hamada could be so competitive" Izuku sighs as he slaps himself in the face. 

\------------------------------------

**At the Police Station: Officer Takahashi Pov.**

As Officer Takahashi finishes recording a new missing item on the list, he stretches and yawns. He happily looks at the list and smiles. It's a good thing that the owner of the towel was found so quickly. He still remembers how overjoyed Izuku was when he heard the news. He came running to the station when he heard the owner would come to pick it up the next day. The owner was an elderly woman around her 80s. Izuku met the owner and personally apologized to her about the incident. She forgave him and went back. It's days like these that he really feels thankful for his job. These tasks may be mundane to other people but to him every moment he spent helping people brought him a lot of joy.

He decides to get up from the desk and takes a short breather outside. When he does he sees some children walking with each other.

"Hurry up!" One of the boys ran past by the station

"Wait for me!" Another boy chases the other one

The officer chuckles as he looks at the children. It's good to see that the children are so energetic and getting along with one another. A memory of Izuku walking home alone flashes by in the officer's mind. When did Izuku start walking home alone? When was the last time he saw him playing with someone close to his age? When did he become so lonely? Does being qurikless change things so much? He used to play with everyone in the park all the time and the adults would praise him for being a well-mannered and smart child. Now, the children he used to play with, the adults that praised him, all scorn or bully the boy. Especially Katsuki, his once former best friend.

When Izuku first moved here, Katsuki would always bring him around with him wherever he went. Back then Izuku was awfully quiet, shy, and indifferent towards people. He would always stutter when he spoke and he didn't react towards anything. So nobody except for Katsuki tried to befriend the boy. Officer Takahashi still remembers how Katsuki had proudly bragged at him that it was his duty and responsibility to watch out for Izuku since he was alone. Officer Takahashi thought how cute and admirable it was of the boy to look out for the new boy. Izuku started getting better after a few weeks and instantly made new friends. Everyone was surprised when the quiet boy suddenly turned into a cheerful energetic child. They figured it must have been stress and anxiety from all the moving.

But ever since the doctor's appointment, Katsuki rarely hanged out with Izuku. He started trash talking about him and bullying him at school. Officer Takahashi tried asking him on multiple occasions why Katsuki stopped hanging out with him but the boy would either ignore him or just reply with the quirkless bullshit. The children at school only ignored Izuku at first but started following Katsuki's example and bullied the boy.

Concerned about the boy's well being he talked about it with Inko but she would always just cry... He wanted to confront the Bakugous and the school but he didn't have any evidence to prove that Izuku was being bullied. He tried once but was given that Izuku was a clumsy child talk. That is a load of crap, Izuku could be absentminded sometimes especially when he's thinking about heroes but he wasn't clumsy. On top of it being clumsy wouldn't explain the bunch of burn marks he had on his arms and legs.

But what could he do if the school denied everything? He didn't have any evidence and Izuku himself refused to press charges. But he couldn't watch the boy just get beaten up so he decided to get his grandfather to teach him martial arts. Luckily it worked for the most part. Izuku was still getting bullied in school but was able to defend himself when he was outside.

The officer clenched his fist. He hated how that was the only thing he could do for the boy...

"Takahashi?" Officer Ono calls out to him

"Oh sorry, you're done with patrol Ono?" Officer Takahashi snaps out and looks at the other Officer

"Yeah, are you ok?" Officer Ono looks at him with concern

"I'm fine" Officer Takahashi lies

"Ok if you're sure" Officer Ono goes into the police station with Officer Takahashi

Just as Officer Takahashi and Officer Ono were about to head to the locker room they hear the door opening. Officer Ono heads straight to the entrance to see who was here. There were two people there one with a black suit and the other was...

"Superintendent Shimano!" Officer Ono bows down to the Superintendent in respect

"Hello, Officer" 

Officer Takahashi hears Officer Ono and immediately rushes to the entrance door. When he sees the Superintendent he bows in respect just as Ono had done. What was the Superintendent doing here? The last time they saw her was when they graduated from the police academy.

"I trust that you are both doing your doing well with the duties we entrusted you with?" Superintendent Shimano gently smiles

"Yes, mam!" Officer Takahashi and Officer Ono salute to the Superintendent

"The neighborhood has had a low percentage of crime rates as of this year. The majority of the crimes persisting here are all minor cases that were easily resolved without the hero's assistance and there have been no large incidents so far in the past year." Officer Ono reports

"That is a very good thing indeed. Keep up the good work officers" Superintendent Shimano smiles

"Yes, mam!"

"It seems that you have very good subordinates, Superintendent Shimano. The police academy must be doing a splendid job if they are able to produce officers like these" the man in the black suit speaks up

Officer Takahashi swears he senses a hint of sarcasm in that flattery. But decides to ignore it. 

"Thank you for your flattery. But we are the ones who are blessed to have such dedicated people in our force. It is because of their efforts that the police force is able to function effectively" Superintendent Shimano glares from the corner of her eyes

"I see" The man in the black suit grins

"Anyway, I came here on an urgent matter that involves the region you are currently assigned to." Superintendent Shimano turns back to the officers with a serious expression on her face

Both Officer Ono and Takahashi look at each other confused.

"I will explain. Could you take us to somewhere more secluded?" The man speaks up again

"Sure right this way" Officer Takahashi leads them to an unused room

As he is leading the both of them Officer Takahashi's gut starts twisting. Something about this man seems fishy to him. He hopes it's not anything too bad...

\--------------------------------------------

**On the way home: Izuku Pov.**

"That was tiring" Izuku sighed as he walked home

After they had lunch they played another game of babanuki well into the afternoon. If he had known that Nurse Hamada was this stubborn than he never would have said that in the first place. Touya was allowed to rest halfway through since he was still recovering but the nurse wouldn't let go of Izuku no matter what. He was finally satisfied once he managed to beat him... But by then it was the afternoon and Izuku had to go home. He wanted to tend to the gardens today but thanks to the nurse he couldn't. He guesses that he will have to leave that for tomorrow. Touya managed to wake up before Izuku left (he swears that Touya woke up earlier but pretended to sleep so he wouldn't have to play again) and saw him out the shrine with Nurse Hamada.

When Izuku crosses the intersection he sees Officer Takahashi walking out of the station. He walked up to the station and was about to greet the officer when saw two other people come out. Who were they? He's never seen people like them in the area.

"Hey Izuku" Officer Takahashi greets him when he notices Izuku

"Hey Officer Takahashi" Izuku greets him back

"Hello, young man" the man cuts in

"Hello" Izuku replies

"What's your name, young man," the man asks with a grin on his face

Izuku flinches when he sees the man smile. Izuku's mind screamed at him that something about this man was off. He looks at Officer Takahashi gesturing to him on what he should do. The officer gives out a serious expression on his face and Izuku gets the hint. This man is dangerous... 

"I'm sorry sir but Okaasan told me I shouldn't speak to strangers especially people who look suspicious or tell them my name" Izuku smiles

"Well you just spoke to me right now" the man grins

"That's enough Agent Suzuki!" Officer Ono comes in between them "This boy has no obligation to tell you his name and he has every right to do so!"

"It's alright Officer Ono I can speak for myself. Mr..." Izuku speaks up

"You can call me Suzuki boy"

"Suzuki-san, Officer Ono is right I have no legal obligation to answer you. If you want to know that badly then please get my mother's consent first" Izuku stares straight into the man's eyes

"And for the record, I was simply greeting you and giving you out a warning that does not mean I had a conversation with you" Izuku smiles

"I see so this is how you are going to play" the man smiles. Somehow that smile sent down shivers to Izuku's spine. This man was really bad news...

"Enough! Agent Suzuki, don't you have more important matters to attend to?" the lady glares at him

"Ah yes, then I will be leaving now. I will leave that matter to you" the man waves goodbye as he leaves

Izuku's knee gives out when he sees that man is nowhere in sight

"Good riddance" the lady clicks her tongue

"Izuku are you alright?" Officer Takahashi rushes to Izuku's side 

"Yes, I'm fine" Izuku smiles at the officer

"I'm sorry you had to experience something like that young boy" the lady bends down to the boy

"It's alright umm..."

"My name is Hazuki Shimano but you can call me Ha-san if you like" the lady gently smiles at Izuku

The lady was nothing like the man in the black suit earlier. Her smile seemed more genuine and kind. But... Izuku turns his head to Officer Takahashi.

"It's alright Izuku you can trust her" Officer Takahashi gently smiles

"Hello, Ha-san my name is Izuku Midoriya and I am 5 years old" Izuku replies to the lady and shakes her hand

"Oh my what a well-mannered young boy. But is it alright for me to know your name?" Ha-san asks

"Okaasan said I shouldn't talk with people who look suspicious and you look like a kind person. Plus Officer Takahashi said I can trust you" Izuku brightly replies

"Ohhhhhh, you're such a sweetheart!" Ha-san squeals and hugs the boy

"Superintendent Shimano you're crushing the boy" Officer Ono deadpans

"Anway, since you're here are you up for another chess match?" Officer Ono grins

"Urgh, not today. I just finally escaped from babanuki with Nurse Hamada just now" Izuku frowns

"Woah... well good luck with that. He'll probably challenge you again later on" 

"What?! Now I really regret playing with him" Izuku whimpers

"Superintendent?" Officer Takahashi calls out to Ha-san

"It's nice to see that you are getting alone with the children here especially you Officer Ono. If I remember correctly children weren't exactly your forte when you were still at the police academy" Ha-san snickers

"It still isn't but this kid is special" Officer Ono retorts back

"Police academy?" Izuku tilts his head confused

"I used to be their instructor when they were still back in the police academy. I know all of their habits down to the underwear they wore" 

"Underwear?"

"Not in front of the kid!" Officer Takahashi's face starts fuming red

"The kid is too young to understand what you're saying Superintendent" Officer Ono deadpans

"Oh, I get it! It means you know everything about them!" Izuku's face beams

The officers slap themselves in the face.

"Yup. You're a smart boy aren't you" Ha-san hugs him even tighter

"Izuku shouldn't you be home by now?" Officer Takahashi looks at his watch

"Oh no, I forgot!" Izuku's head pops out of Ha-san's embrace

"Oh my I should get going too" Ha-san releases Izuku 

Ha-san then whispers something into Officer Takahashi's and Ono's ears. Izuku couldn't exactly hear what they were saying but it seemed like something important.

"Well then Izuku it was nice meeting such a sweet boy like you" Ha-san waves goodbye to him

"Bye Ha-san" Izuku waves back "I better get going too" 

"Ok goodbye Izuku" Officer Takahashi waves goodbye as the boy leaves

"Wait!" Officer Ono comes chasing after Izuku

"What is it, Officer Ono?" Izuku stops for a moment and turns around to the officer

"Izuku, listen to me carefully because I can only say this once. I can't tell you what's going on but just know that after tomorrow things are going to be pretty hectic for a while. I want you to stay low with your mother for a while and avoid going outside alone as much as possible" The officer bends down to Izuku and grabs his shoulders

"Why?" Izuku asks curiously before slowly connecting the dots. "Does it have anything to do with that man in the black suit?"

"You really are a clever boy. Just do as I say for now. Hopefully, it will be all over soon" Officer Ono grins

"Ok" Izuku nods

"Also, if you find or hear anything strange don't tell anyone about it except for me, Takahashi, and Superintendent Shimano" Officer Ono's grips grow tighter

"I will" Izuku gulps

"Good boy then off you go" The officer pats Izuku's head

"Bye Officer Ono!" Izuku runs off

"Bye Izuku" Officer Ono wave back at him


	15. The Announcement and Pursuit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for updating so late. I was stuck in a slump and couldn't figure out how to continue this arc. To be honest I'm not really 100 percent happy with this chapter. But I decided to post it anyway because I wanted to continue the story and go to the time skip arc. So here it is.

**On the way to the shrine: Izuku Pov.**

“Yaaaaaaawn” Izuku yawns really loudly. He couldn’t sleep at all last night.

He kept on thinking about that weird man in the black suit and Officer’s word. The officer seemed extremely serious and a bit scared when he warned him. Izuku was surprised since this was the first time he had seen the officer make an expression like that. Officer Ono was a laid back person, unlike the serious Officer Takahashi. He was always easy going and had a carefree attitude. No one could literally tell what he was thinking half of the time with the exception of those close to him. Izuku wasn’t fond of the officer at first but quickly soon to came to realize that the officer was actually really kind, caring, and a bit awkward in contrast to his laid back personality. You seriously can’t judge a book by its cover. 

Anyway for the officer to be so serious means that this man is extremely dangerous. He can understand why Officer Ono was so desperate for the man to leave last night, Izuku only met the man for like 5 minutes and even that gave him the shivers. 

“Hmm. What’s going on?” Izuku looks around the street

The street was suddenly crowded with people and bustling with noise. This is strange, normally a few people walk around here in the morning during the weekends. Why are there so many people this early in the morning on a Sunday no less? What’s going on? They seemed to be heading in the same direction but where are they heading? 

”Excuse me” Izuku walks up to one of the people walking in the street

They ignore him and continue walking. He tries asking the others but to no avail. It was normal most people from the neighborhood who recognized the Midoriyas to ignore them. They didn’t want to have anything to do with the family who had given birth to a quirkless reject like him. There were even some who even tried to beat him up occasionally like the kids at school. Thanks to his martial arts training he was able to defend himself from them and run away before they even manage to catch him. However, this made these people even more frustrated and they started spreading nasty rumors about him (as if being a quirkless bastard wasn't enough) and his mother as a way to get back at him giving the neighbors more reason to shun them.

Izuku gives up after being ignored for the 5th time. It's no use there was no way they were going to tell the quirkless trash what was going on. He guesses he will have to figure out for himself where they are heading. He decides to follow the crowd and hears some people talking on the way.

"I wonder what kind of announcement they're going to make?" Neighbor 1 yawns

"I don't know but it must be important since the police are involved" Neighbor 2 replies

"Announcement, police?" Izuku silently muttered to himself

Before Izuku could ponder about the neighbor's conversation they turn right at the intersection. He slowly starts realizing where they were heading now. It was the small plaza near the marketplace. The plaza was small but big enough to fit the entire neighborhood populace. It was often used for events like the summer festival, flea markets, etc. If they were going to make an announcement then there was no other perfect place like this.

Once they got to the plaza, Izuku had to stand at the very back of the crowd. None of the people were willing to stand aside or give their place to the boy. So he had no choice but to stand there where he could barely hear anything and couldn't see anything at all. 

"May I please have your attention!" 

Everyone else and Izuku shut their ears for a moment from the loud voice.

"I apologize for the noise however since this is a very important announcement we have decided to bring these large speakers in courtesy of Emeret Support Company here so everyone could hear" the man bows

"Now for the important notice. Last week it was reported by the hospital that some of the residents here have been experiencing dizziness and nausea. It was initially believed to be caused by an allergic reaction against pollens. However once, non-allergen patients appeared with the same symptoms the hospital contacted the police force for the likely hood of a quirk accident. Once the investigation was conducted it was revealed that it was a quirk accident indeed"

The neighbors suddenly start whispering to each other once they heard what the man had said. This was the first time someone had ever heard of something like this happening in the neighborhood. There were some who had relatives working in the hospital but they had never anything about these symptoms either. They weren't also aware of anyone having a quirk like this either. People slowly start becoming worried and panic grew among the crowd.

"Umm" The man coughs to catch the audience's attention

"Please do not be worried, upon the investigation, it was also revealed that the quirk is not life-threatening in any way." The man speaks loudly

Everyone sighs a breath of relief. 

"However, as a precaution, we would like to investigate the area and conduct some interviews with the residents here to provide necessary assistance if they were affected by the quirk or experienced certain losses from it as well as prevent a second one from happening." The man calmly speaks

An investigation? 

"Since there are not enough officers in the area to conduct a proper investigation, the Tokyo police headquarters has decided to send more personals to assist them. They will be arriving tomorrow and give you a more detailed explanation afterward. The workers from the ministry of health, labor, and welfare will also be arriving tomorrow to do the interviews. We ask you that you fully cooperate with each of the respective officers during the duration of the investigation. If any of you have any questions please ask either the police force or the ministry workers that will be arriving tomorrow"

Once the man leaves the stand, the crowds erupt into a conversation. Some talk about what's going on or what will happen to them. Some start talking about how it was going to affect their daily lives. Some already start calling their workplace or office to inform them of the situation. However, Izuku remains completely silent with his palms sweating. Is this what Officer Ono meant when he said things were going to get busy for a while?

This wasn't the first time a quirk accident had taken place here before. This neighborhood had a lot of senior citizens and children residing here. As a result, there were lots of cases where senior citizens with dementia accidentally released their quirks causing it to go out of control as well as children who had just manifested their quirks sometimes had trouble controlling their quirks causing it to go berserk. Usually, Officer Takahashi, Ono, and hero from the nearby agency would handle the investigation and conduct the interviews with the families since the neighbors felt the most comfortable around them. There were cases when an extra worker from the ministry or police force would be sent over when they didn't have enough people to handle the situation. But this was the first time they sent an entire team into the area. Was the quirk that dangerous? But Officer Ono wouldn't warn him for something like that. Plus he warned him about the man in the black suit. What did a quirk accident have to do with him?

While Izuku kept thinking about the situation the people began leaving one by one. Izuku decides to leave too. Regardless of the doubts, he had about this situation it would be bad if the police or government workers found Touya. He needs to get back to the shrine and warn the nurse. Before he did he felt a malicious intent coming off somewhere in the area and he quickly turns around but found nothing. He swore he felt something but decides to shrug it off as something he imagined and left.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**At the shrine: Touya's Pov**

"Gouchisousama Deshita" Touya claps his hands together

"Looks like you ate everything" The old man smiles as he picks up the empty dishes

He just finished eating his second meal for this morning. As embarrassing as it was, seeing how Touya's stomach kept on grumbling all afternoon yesterday, the old man decided to change his diet to keep up with his growing appetite. He told Touya that from today on, he would start having 6 meals a day instead of 3 like he did until now and start eating more highly nutritious food with lots of proteins and calories.

"Hey, do I have to really eat this much?" Touya asks

"If you want to recover faster than yes" The old man replies

"But wouldn't eating this much food make me fat?" 

"Hahahaha" The old man starts bursting out in laughter

"What are you laughing at?" Touya snarls at the old man

"It's just that I never expected you to be cute." The old man kept laughing

"Shut up" Touya turns his head away and sulks

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. About your question just now, no you won't get fat. All the calories and proteins will become fuel for your body to help heal those burns. After their healed, you should be able to go back to your regular diet again." The old man wipes his tears away and replies to Touya's question

"Really?" Touya turns his head back

"Yes" The old man replies

"Thank god" Touya sighs a breath of relief

He would never let the old man know but it was a huge concern to him. Every time he got hurt from his quirk his stomach kept growling none stop and he would be told each time how shameful it was. He learned to hide it eventually but still kept feeling embarrassed about it whenever it happened. He never knew it was something normal. But nobody had ever bothered telling him and he wasn't exactly good with health or biology so technically it wasn't his fault that he didn't know.

"But I do recommend you eat more even after you recover. You are far too skinny and short for someone your age" The old man scoffs

"You don't even know how old I am, old man" Touya grins

"I don't know but I'm guessing that you are around 10 to 12 years old?" The old man shrugs

"Close, I'm 13" Touya replies

"Well then all the more so" The old man sets asides the dishes and starts to nag at him

This old man sure likes to lecture a lot. Come to think of it he did see him lecturing the cinnamon roll once. It took him a whole 2 hours until he finally stopped. At the time he thought it was funny seeing how the cinnamon roll scrunched his face and pleaded for help but now that he was on the other end of it was so goddamn annoying. No wonder Izuku pleaded to him for help. He hopes the kid gets here soon or else his ears are going to fall off from all the nagging. As he listened to the man's lecture he spots something in the corner of the room

"Hey what's that?" Touya points at the thing lying in the corner

"Hmmm," The old man stops nagging and turns around. He then walks to the corner of the room and picks up whatever was laying there.

"What is it?" Touya asks curiously

"It's Izuku's notebook. He must have left it here by accident yesterday" The old man walks back to the futon while inspecting the notebook

As the old man approaches him he could see the notebook clearer and notices something weird about it. 

"Why is the notebook so banged up?" Touya points at the notebook

"Umm," The old man suddenly freezes and frowns at his question.

Why was the old man frowning? Did he ask something wrong? If he did then he didn't mean to. He was just genuinely curious as to why the notebook was so banged up. The kid didn't seem the type to be reckless with the things he owned as evidence with the books and games he brought. He didn't seem the clumsy type either. But then again Izuku did have a lot of bandages on his arms and knees sometimes. Wait for a second... Frowning, burned notebook, bandages... Dots formed in Touya's mind and memories start flashing through his eyes

"Is Izuku being abused?" Touya asks worryingly

It would make perfect sense with the way the old man was reacting and how banged up the notebook was... The kid would never do anything that would cause the notebook to be so banged up and those bandages. The only logical conclusion would be that someone other than the kid had to be responsible for it. 

"No, not at all it's just" The old man's face turns down looking depressed

"Just?" Touya tilts his head

"I guess I can tell you. But I warn you it's going to be a really long story" The old man smiles

"We still have a lot of time before the kid gets here so start away" Touya scoffs

"But before I start, promise me that you won't treat the kid any differently after you heard his story" The old man looks straight into Touya's eyes

"Sure" Touya replies

The old man starts explaining how everything started when Izuku came for a doctor's appointment at the hospital he used to work at. His mother took him there when he showed no sign of manifesting a quirk like all the other children his age. The old man was part of the examination and that was how he met the boy. However, the boy was diagnosed as quirkless by the doctor who conducted the examination and that was where everything started spiraling downwards. Everyone started shunning and badgering the kid for being quirkless. Kids at school either bullied or avoided him, teachers gave him unfair punishments, the neighbors talked behind his back and etc.

"So that's why Izuku has so many bruises on his body and his notebook is like that..." Touya's grip gets stronger

"Yes, I'm afraid so" The old man replies

"Why the hell won't anyone do anything about it!" Touya shouts

Touya was mad, slash that, he was furious as he listened to the old man's explanation. How could people do stuff like this much less a kid!? Izuku didn't deserve any of it! In fact, he deserved more praise than anyone he ever knew. The kid was sweet, kind, gentle and for god's sake saved his life!

"We've tried many times and a friend of mine who's a police officer even went as far as to give the school a warning. But they never listen" The old man sighs

"Has your friend filed a report on them?" Touya asks

"Trust me he tried but there wasn't enough evidence to convict the school or the bullies for anything. Without evidence, the police can't make an investigation" 

"What about medical records? Surely those bruises and burns would be enough to prove that he was being bullied" Touya asks

"I've tried that too but they cleaned it off as injuries from playing or clumsiness" The old man sighs while carrying his head

"What the hell! Just take one look at the kid and anyone could easily tell it wasn't from either of those!" Touya shouts

"That's the point." The old man speaks up

"What do you mean?" Touya looks dumbfoundedly at the old man

"Nobody cares about a quirkless kid enough to take an actual look at him. They don't care what happens to him as long as it doesn't bother them. In fact, if I had to bet my money on it, they think what they're doing is right" The old man slams his fist into the tatami floors

"But why? He's a good kid. He hasn't done anything wrong." Touya sorrowfully speaks out

"Unfortunately in this quirk based society quirkless people are considered as trash or burdens. They are considered the weaker half of the 2 races since they have no special ability to speak of. They have to do things in the old fashioned way and carry a lot more weaknesses than quirked people. As a result, they are often labeled as useless or burdens since they require much more care and are unable to contribute much to society. There are many cases where they are bullied, shunned, and at worst even abandoned by their family members. That's also one of the reasons why the unemployment rate and suicide rate for quirkless people are high. As much as I hate to say this but as long as Izuku is quirkless they won't give a damn about him no matter how good of a kid he is. I highly doubt they would even care if he dies off of a street somewhere." The old man awkwardly smirks

Touya just stares at the old man. He never knew that things were that bad for quirkless people. He used to be so jealous of them since they didn't have to train or suffer from side effects like he did. If he had his way he would have asked to be born quirkless then that bastard would have left him alone and he wouldn't be suffering so much right now or be on the escape. Now he wants to slap himself from the past for thinking like that. Sure that place was hell for him but he never had to deal with those kinds of bullshit outside or at school. He could never imagine dealing with both 24/7 it would be worse than hell. 

"What the fuck... so Izuku is being punished for being born as quirkless, something he can't control? He didn't ask to be quirkless! None of those people did! I didn't... Yet..." tears start falling out of Touya's eyes

"Touya are you ok?" The old man tries to comfort him and calm him down

"Just tell me why?" Touya can't stop crying

"Society and people have always been unkind towards those who they consider are different or weaker than them. Just like how people in the past used to discriminate against quirk users or how indigenous people like the Ainu were persecuted by the government, people label those with powerful quirks/ villainous quirks as dangerous and quirkless people are criticized for being a burden to society. Unfortunately, humans are hopeless idiots who think they are allowed to do anything they want to those who are different than them just because they don't fit into what they think is normal especially if they think they are weaker than them" The old man sighs

"No kidding" Touya scoffs, he knows fully well how that goes. 

"People have a hard time accepting something different from them because of their stupidity and natural fear towards them" The old man sighs again

"Fear?" Touya asks

"Yes, the irony of human beings is that we're afraid of something different from us. We fear them because we don't understand, know, or comprehend anything about them." The old man explains

"Then they should just learn about them" Touya scoffs

"And that's where the stupidity of human beings comes in. Because we have been on top of the food chain for years we have somehow created this illusion that we're superior beings and whatnot. We live in this tiny world where we believe that human beings are able to do anything they want and more. But in actuality, we couldn't be weaker than any other beings on this planet. When something goes different then the way they planned or know about the illusion instantly breaks and all hell brakes loose. That is why they can't stand something different from them because it reminds them of just how weak we humans in actuality are. Even more so in this quirked society" The old man continues

"..." Touya stays silent

Every single bit of his memories flashed before his very eyes. The bastard yelling at him for being weak. Training him until he started barfing or he could no longer stand up. Him calling him and everyone else, a failure. That bastard continually pushing that person to do more while tossing away them aside. That bastard coming home angry... Every time he looked at him with eyes of disappointment. Touya knew that bastard was angry because he wasn't able to achieve the things he wanted in life. So he pushed it on to that person and them. But when he couldn't have the results he wanted he just became even angrier. 

"Even more so for Izuku" The old man looks down depressed

"What?" Touya snaps out

"I think you've noticed it but even without a quirk, Izuku is extremely talented for someone his age even more than most adults I might add." The old man smiles

"Yeah" Touya tilts his head confused

"They hate it. They hate how someone they consider weaker than them is actually stronger or more talented than they are. They are scared of the potential that the boy has and are trying to crush it before he has the chance to spread his wings." 

"So far it's not working from what I can tell" Touya smirks

"Exactly and that's why they are even more desperate to crush him. Nothing they say or do has any effect on the boy. Every time they push him down the cliff he just comes back fighting for more. Every time the boy gets back up stronger it just reminds them even more how weak they truly are. They are scared of the strength in that boy's soul" The old man smirks

"That makes sense" Touya looks down on to futon

Izuku was very different from him. He helped him without a moment of hesitation. Regardless of how he was being treated he just moved onwards not letting anyone or anything stop him. Even when someone tries to force him down he will just get back up. While Touya just ran away. He tried to help at first but it always just made everything worse. That bastard was right he was weak, a failure.

"Touya are you really alright?" The old man looks at him with concern in his eyes

"I'm alright it's just sometimes..." Touya pauses for a moment

"Soba!" 

"Oh speak of the devil" The old man stands up and heads to the door but just before he does he turns his head back to Touya

"You know Touya, one of the reasons why Izuku is stronger than other people is because he has the courage to admit that he is weak. He understands and knows just how weak he truly is. But instead of denying it as everyone else does, he proudly admits it. That is something even I am jealous of because I could never admit mine. So I think people who can accept their weaknesses are stronger than anyone else" The old man smiles

"Accept their weaknesses..." Touya stares into blank space as the old man walks out the door to greet the boy

\---------------------------------------------------------

**The shrine: Nurse Hamada Pov.**

"Welcome back Izuku" The nurse greets the boy

"I'm back Nurse Hamada" The boy greets him back

"Hey, Touya" Izuku waves at Touya

"Hey brat" Touya snaps out of whatever trance he was in and waves back

"Izuku why are you panting so much? Did you run all the way here?" The nurse worryingly asks when he notices Izuku breathing raggedly

"We have a major problem" Izuku's face turns serious as he whispers

"What do you mean?" The nurse asks 

Izuku then looks at Touya and the nurse immediately notices what it was about. He looks back at Touya wondering if he had heard anything they were just saying just now. Luckily Touya seemed to a little bit in a daze. Probably thinking about the conversation they had just now.

"I'm going to go wash my hands" Izuku gestures the nurse to follow him through the corner of his eyes

"Then I'll go with you since I have to clean these dishes. You'll be alone for awhile Touya but is that alright with you?" The nurse turns around to face Touya

"Uhh sure" Touya replies while partially still being in a daze

"If you need us we'll be at the back of the shrine, like always" Izuku waves at Touya

"Ok" Touya gently smiles

After the nurse goes back to the futon to pick up the empty dishes he heads to the back of the shrine with Izuku. Once they get there Izuku washes his hands first and then Nurse Hamada fills up the stone basin and leaves the dirty dishes in there for a while.

"So what did you mean by we have a major problem?" the nurse asks with a serious expression on his face

Izuku talked about he met two people Ha-san (probably Superintendent Shimano) and a man in a black suit at the police station yesterday. He explained how he felt this weird aura coming from the black suit when he started a conversation as the man called it with him. Izuku doesn't know why but he sensed something dangerous from him as they talked. Luckily before they could continue the so-called conversation both the officers and superintendent interfered. The man left him alone and just left the police station. When it was Izuku's turn to leave Officer Ono gave him a warning.

"That is concerning" The nurse holds his chin

He knew what Officer Ono was like. They have been drinking buddies since the officer was assigned here 5 years ago. If he went as far as to warn Izuku then something serious had to be up.

"And then there was that announcement" Izuku looks down and grips on his pants

"Announcement?" The nurse asks

"There was an official announcement at the plaza that there had been a quirk accident here this week and that they were going to send an entire team to investigate the neighborhood " Izuku replies

"Wait for a second, sure I've been cooped up here in the shrine for a long time but I do go out sometimes to restock and so far I've never heard of there being a quirk accident around here" The nurse speaks up

"I know. None of the neighbors heard about it either. Anyway, they said that they were going to do an investigation of the neighborhood. Also, since there aren't enough police in the area they've decided to bring more from Tokyo. They also told us that the workers from the ministry of health would come by and interview each home to make sure no one has been affected." Izuku explains

This is a completely normal procedure. Whenever a quirk accident happens the police conduct an investigation while public workers conduct interviews to see how much it has affected the people and report it to the ministry so people who have been affected could receive the proper support necessary from the government like medical treatment or financial support. 

But this situation was a bit strange. If there had been a quirk accident last week than even if the effects were unnoticeable at first, someone would have noticed it after a week had passed. There were a lot of seniors in this neighborhood so a lot of people went to the hospital for regular and daily checkups. If there truly was a quirk accident the medical staff would have been the first to notice it right away. Then as the procedure follows, they would have filed a report to the police and the city hall. They would usually send people right away to deal with the problem to prevent it from growing bigger, not wait an entire week until it's too late.

"I don't think they're telling the whole truth. I think it has to do something with the man in a black suit and Officer Ono's warning. Because it's too weird for these to be coincidences. They're after something but I don't know what. I think it would be safe if we stayed low for a while because there's no telling what they would do if they find Touya" 

Wait for a second, black suit? Didn't Nurse Yamamoto mention the same thing before?

"A week ago, the hospital, black suit, police, quirk accident." The nurse mumbles

Suddenly a memory flashed by in his mind.

_Flashback_

_He was crying as a tall shadowy figure took him by the hands._

_"Everything is going to be alright. You are going to be a great hero one day" the shadow smiled at him as he tried to comfort the crying boy_

_"But I don't want to be a hero. I want to be with my sister!" the nurse talked back to him_

_"Oh nonsense after all everyone wants to be a hero" the shadow smiled at him again_

_Nurse Hamada froze when he saw that smile. How could a person smile like that? He had never seen someone smile so sinister in his life before._

_Flashback end_

"Izuku do you remember exactly how the man looked like?" Nurse Hamada looks straight into Izuku's eyes

"Yeah sure. He had short dark brown hair with almond-shaped light brown eyes. As for his age, he looked like he was around in his early 60s. I think he's a lefty since he wore his watch on his right hand." Izuku explains

Short dark brown hair, light brown hair, in his early 60s, left-handed... It couldn't be...

_"Oh nonsense after all everyone wants to be a hero"_

"Izuku was the watch silver?" the nurse gulps

"Yeah, why?" Izuku frowns

Holy shit... All the dots form into lines in Nurse Hamada's head. It makes sense, it was the only logical explanation he had. 

"Because I think I know who they're after" Nurse Hamada gulps

"Who are..." Izuku stops when he sees the nurse's face. He then quickly realizes what was going on. "They're after Touya aren't they?" Izuku asks the nurse

"You're really a clever boy aren't you" The nurse grins

Yes, the boy was right. The day Izuku found Touya was the exact same day those people came in pushing into the hospital. Then after a week later they came pushing into the neighborhood. These were too strange for it to be all coincidence. The day Izuku found Touya he said he seemed to be running away from something. They must be the ones who are pursuing him. That means they traced him to this city and since he was probably in their custody until he escaped they would have known about his injuries that's why they came to the hospital first instead of searching the city first. Then when they couldn't find him there they decided to surround him in the neighborhood leaving him no chance to escape. 

"We need to tell Touya straight away" Izuku tries to leave before the nurse grabs him

"No, we can't!" the nurse glares at Izuku

"But why!?" Izuku tries to shake the nurse off

"Touya has made a lot of progress with his recovery since he got here but his mental state is still very delicate. Although he doesn't have very many panic attacks like when he first came here, the smallest things could possibly trigger him off." The nurse tries to reason with Izuku 

"But even so I think it's wrong to keep it from him" Izuku retorts

"Listen to me. If Touya learned about this now I highly doubt that he can handle it with his current mental state. There's no telling what he might do. I think its better if we tell him when he's better.." The nurse gets cut off

"Nurse Hamada I understand that you are worried about Touya. I am too. But the longer we keep this a secret from him, the more he will become hurt" 

"Izuku" the nurse tries to speak up before being interrupted again

"Plus you once told me that just as much as we should think about the patient's well being, we should also respect their wishes. But how are we supposed to respect their wishes if they aren't allowed to make one?" Izuku looks straight into the nurse's eyes

The nurse lets go of Izuku and watches as he runs back to the shrine. He stood there for a while pondering about Izuku's words.

_"How are we supposed to respect their wishes if they aren't allowed to make one?"_

He shakes his head and runs to the front of the shrine to go catch up with Izuku. When he opens the door he sees Izuku sitting next to Touya who was looking at the nurse with a confused expression on his face. Then the words of the man in the black suit come in filling up his mind

_"Everything is going to be alright. You are going to be a great hero one day"_

_"But I don't want to be a hero."_

_"Oh nonsense after all everyone wants to be a hero"_

"What the fuck was he doing!" The nurse mentally slaps himself. 

He was doing the exact same thing that the monster did to him all those years ago. He promised himself that he would never ignore a patient's wishes or opinions like that man did. But look at him now! What the hell was he being weak for just because he heard about that man again? 

"Touya there's something we need to tell you" the nurse approaches the boys

"Nurse Hamada!" Izuku looks at the nurse surprised

"Why do you look so surprised?" The nurse scoffs

"I thought you were against it?" Izuku tilts his head confused

"I thought about your words. You are right who are we the ones to decide what is in Touya's best interest? That's his decision, not ours. If we decide for him without consulting him than we're no better than the bastards who did this to him" The nurse gently smiles

"Nurse Hamada" Izuku looks at the nurse

"Ummm. I hate to burst your bubble, but can someone explain what is going on here?" Touya tilts his head confused

"Sorry, Touya. We'll explain what's going on"

\-------------------------------------------------------------

**??? Headquarters: Madam President and Agent Suzuki Pov.**

Agent Suzuki looks over the files and stretches. It's been a while since he was sent out into the field, it really did a number on his old body. But he enjoyed it nonetheless. He was getting tired of doing desk work for nearly a decade. It was a good refresher. Agent Suzuki looks up when he notices someone knocking the door

"Come in" Agent Suzuki call out

The door opens to reveal a lady around in her late 30s. She comes up walking to his desk.

"Madam President," Agent Suzuki stands up and bows towards her

"Greetings Agent Suzuki" The president greets him back

Agent Suzuki quickly leads her to the couch and starts preparing some tea for the both of them.

"I am very sorry for disturbing you with this case when you were preparing to enter retirement, Agent Suzuki. But you were the only one we could think of who could help us with this disturbance" The President bows

"Nonsense, I am glad to always be of help to the organization even in my old age. Especially you Madam President." Agent Suzuki puts down the tea on the coffee table

"No, we should be the ones who are honored. I have heard many great things about you from the previous president and about your many contributions to the organization." The President gently smiles

"Oh please, I only did what I thought was best for the organization. And I do admit that not all of my missions turned out to be in success" Agent Suzuki smiles back

"You are as modest as everyone says you are Agent Suzuki." The President picks up the cup and sips the tea

"I thank you and everyone else for the compliment" Agent Suzuki chuckles

"As you have asked we have already prepared for the agents to come into the city tomorrow" Madam President puts down the cup

"Thank you" Agent Suzuki replies

"We have also made sure to keep an eye on both the medical staff and police officers. You were correct that someone is helping the target." The President sips on the tea

"Yes. I thought it was strange as to how the sightings of the target immediately disappeared." Agent Suzuki carries his chin

"Have you never thought of him escaping to another area?" The President asks curiously

"That was my initial thought. But when I discovered that the reports stopped the moment he appeared in the area I thought it was strange." Agent Suzuki explains

"Strange how?" President asks

"According to the file your subordinates gave me, the target was heavily injured and had a weak constitution due to his own quirk. It would be highly unlikely that the target escaped the day he appeared. Even if he did then there would have been sightings near the area not disappear completely. The target is highly recognizable with both of his injuries and appearance someone would have likely noticed" Agent Suzuki continues

"Hmmm" The President listens to the Agent carefully

"The only other explanation that could explain his quick disappearance was that he has an accomplice helping him. The possibility was low but not zero. Then when I saw the reports on the hospital you had your subordinate search I immediately became suspicious and asked my subordinates to check if any supplies were missing" 

"I see but why were you suspicious of the hospital? We found nothing wrong with the medical staff when we searched there" The President speaks up

"Yes, there was nothing wrong with the medical staff either with their backgrounds or history. With the exemption of the higher-ups, they are very nice and generous people as far as my subordinate's reports go. However, that was exactly why I was suspicious" Agent Suzuki smiles

"What do you mean?" President looks annoyed

"Madam President you know as well as I do, that people, like All Might who are ready to sacrifice everything for a stranger, rarely exist even within the hero community. However, that does not mean they don't exist." Agent Suzuki's face turns serious

"You mean to say someone like that exists in the hospital?" President sternly asks

"Yes. I had my subordinates do a background check on the hospital and it was found that the hospital had a scandal with a family a year back. According to the report, the child was being abused by his guardians after he had manifested his quirk. He had multiple bruises on his body, no doubt from being physically abused and was malnourished. No one noticed it as the parents had a very good reputation for being kind and generous people. It was only when the father was hospitalized that one of the nurses who found it odd, decided to take the child in for an examination that it was discovered that he was being abused. The hospital then immediately notified the police once they got the results. However, it turned into a lengthy legal battle as the hospital had conducted the examination without the child's guardian's consent. On top of it the parents claimed that the child had a dangerous quirk and was training the boy on how to use it so, it was not abuse, and the law clearly stated that the parents had every right to see how they educate their children. It was a hopeless situation but both the police and hospital pushed on with the case and were finally able to win" The agent calmly explains

"I see. I get what you mean. If these people were willing to go so far to rescue a child despite the risks of losing everything. Then it is very likely that one or several of them would help the target" The President carries her chin

"Yes. So I had my subordinates search the hospital for any missing items just in case and low in beholding some of the medical supplies and antibiotics were missing." Agent Suzuki smiles

"Well, then this decides that he has an accomplice indefinitely. However, the problem is who?" The President ponders

"Unfortunately the names involved in the trial were completely sealed as the child is a minor. So we have no idea which nurse was the one who made the report. On top of which none of the nurses or doctors present at the hospital had made any suspicious move outside. So we have no idea who it could be." Agent Suzuki shrugs his shoulders

"Is that why you asked to keep an eye on the officers?" The President asks

"Yes. Although I was not able to find out the nurse's name, I was able to find out the police's name. There are only a limited number of police in that area and those two fit the profile. Officer Seichi Takahashi is a diligent man whose heart is full of righteousness just like his grandfather Suehiko Takahashi. Officer Date Ono was born in the slums of Tokyo until he was found and taken in by the police. They are also the students of Superintendent Shimano when she was an instructor there. I believe they are also accomplices to the target" Agent Suzuki explains

"Superintendent Shimano. She has gotten in the way of the organization on numerous occasions. It's no wonder she's getting in the way again. She's been slowly gaining power and favor with both the police force and prosecution officers. It's only a matter of time before she becomes promoted. If she does then the police will have more power and our hold on the government will loosen with it." The president clicks her tongue

"That is exactly why I asked for Superintendent Shimano's assistance in the case." Agent Suzuki grins

"Excuse me?" The president looks at the man bewildered with what he just said right now

"Judging by the profile of her former students, it is highly probable that they will do something. We will try to keep her distracted as much as we can with the investigation. Once they make their move and we catch them in the act then we will hold her responsible as they were her former students. She will then fall from power. Even if we don't we will lose nothing as long as we capture the target before they can which I highly doubt is impossible due to the target's history" Agent Suzuki snickers

"You are a very clever man Agent Suzuki. It is no wonder why the former president spoke very highly of you. I will make sure you will get all the assistance you need to make this mission a success" The President smiles

\----------------------------------------------------

**The Shrine: Touya's Pov.**

Izuku and Nurse Hamada explained the entire situation to Touya from where he met the strange man in the black suit to the announcement this morning. Izuku and Nurse Hamada tell them the likelihood of them coming into the neighborhood was because Touya was here.

"So you're telling me that a man in black suit is after me and is searching the entire city for me" Touya frowns

"Yes basically that's it" Nurse Hamada replies

Holy shit. How the hell did they manage to find him? He made sure to use the busiest street so no one would notice. Even if they did it would only be for a slight moment and most people would play it off that it was part of their imagination and probably forget about it. Wait, cameras! While he hid in the crowd he walked through an intersection with a traffic light. They must have traced him from there. Goddamit! How the hell could he be so stupid!

"Touya?" Izuku looked at him with concern

Touya then turns around his head to the old man and Izuku. Oh shit... It doesn't matter right now how they found him if they find him right here and now...

"Touya what are you doing?" Izuku asks when he sees Touya struggling to get up

"Getting out of here. What else?" Touya replies with a deadpan face

"You can't!" Izuku grabs onto Touya and holds him so he can't leave

"Let go kid!" Touya desperately tries to get out of Izuku's hold

He needs to get out of here. If he stays here and gets caught the ones who will truly be in danger will be these guys. Those bastards won't finish him off just yet not as long as he still has value to them. And so far it seems he is since they are willing to go this far to capture him instead of burying him. But these guys? Izuku is quirkless if what the old man said was true then those bastards won't probably hesitate to erase him since nobody would even care. As for the old man, they'll probably make him shut up just like they did with all the others. 

"Oh no you're not! You're in no condition to walk let alone leave. You had 3rd-degree burns for god's sakes and it's even a miracle that you are recovering well despite not having any kind of surgery" The old man grabs his shoulders and forcibly lays him back to the futon

"But I have to leave!" Touya tries to struggle against the old man until he feels a sharp pain in his body "Urgh!"

"See! You're in no condition to leave" the old man glares at him

"Dammit!" Touya clicks his tongue as the pain courses through his body from forcibly getting up. Why of all times won't his body listen to him now? 

"Please stay Touya at the very least until you recover" Izuku begs him

"..." Touya remains silent.

"Please Touya" the old man pleads to Touya

Touya stares at both of them for a while and sighs "Fine! But only till I get better"

Touya sees the old man sigh with relief with his answer and the kid's face beaming with light. 

"Ok, for now, I will go stock up on food and medical supplies at the nearby supermarket. Izuku you should go home right now and stay with your mother for a while until things calm down." The old man stands up

"Ok, I will." Izuku nods

"Now that's a good kid" The old man pats the kid's head

"But will you guys be fine? I mean Touya will you be alright with Nurse Hamada treating your wounds?" cinnamon roll looks at him

"I'll be fine, now you should go Izuku" Touya gestures the boy to leave

To be honest it's actually going to be pretty tough. Although he's gotten used to the old man's presence and doesn't mind him getting close to him. He's still not totally comfortable with the idea of allowing to treat his burns. He doesn't really know if he'll be alright and there's a chance he might have a panic attack and burn the old man again. But right now, he doesn't really have a choice and this is the best chance he has to get the boy far away from him as possible. If he doesn't come here then the less chance Izuku will be caught by those bastards. For that, he can handle a little bit of discomfort. 

"Ok" Izuku sighs and stands up

"Izuku be careful and make sure you go through the maze so no one will be able to see you" The old man gently pats Izuku's shoulders

"I know" Izuku replies with a smile 

"Good" The old man smiles

"Bye Touya, Bye Nurse Hamada. See you guys soon" Izuku waves goodbye to them

"Bye Izuku" Touya waves back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The company name is something I just randomly came up with.


End file.
